Jackson State University alum Dr. Gerald L. Roberts Weatherspoon has been named a 2015 Teaching Excellence Award winner at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va., where he is the associate chairman for the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry.
In explaining its selection, the panel said, “The committee was incredibly impressed with your portfolio and how it showcased the results of your amazing work with students.”
In 2002, Weatherspoon became the first African-American to be granted tenure in science and engineering at George Mason and remains the only African-American faculty member tenured in its College of Science.
He graduated with honors from JSU with a bachelor’s in chemistry in 1984 and a Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of California, Davis, in 1995. In addition, Weatherspoon is the only African-American to graduate with a Ph.D. from the Solid State Chemistry Group at UC Davis. As well, he also serves as Eastern Regional Director of Education for Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc.
The formal ceremony for the excellence awards at George Mason is Monday, April 13.