Gabriele Maier Wins Dietrich College’s Elliot Dunlap Smith Award

By Stefanie Johndrow

Gabriele Maier, associate teaching professor of German in the Department of Modern Languages, is the recipient of the 2018-19 Elliot Dunlap Smith Award for Distinguished Teaching and Educational Service in the Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences.

“I feel truly honored to be receiving the Elliot Dunlap Smith Award,” Maier said. “When I came to the United States in 2000 to study Comparative Literature at the University of Washington in Seattle, I never thought that teaching would be something I could possibly enjoy. I truly dreaded my first day in the classroom. But after one semester I couldn't imagine my life without teaching — and my passion for teaching has stayed with me ever since.”

Maier also is the director of CMU’s Master of Arts in Global Communication and Applied Translation Program. Her research focuses on whether human beings are able to overcome cultural differences and accept diverse ways of living. She is the author of “Germany in the Age of Globalization: A Textbook for Advanced Learners of German,” and co-editor of “Heimat Goes Mobile: Hybrid Forms of Home in Literature and Film.”

“Gabi is a great teacher who has inspired students and colleagues with her dedication, creativity and enthusiasm,” said Joseph E. Devine, associate dean for undergraduate studies. “Her many curricular, scholarly, leadership and service contributions have had a strong, positive impact on students and colleagues at Carnegie Mellon and more broadly. She epitomizes in every way what the Elliot Dunlap Smith Award recognizes.”

Pictured above: Gabriele Maier (second from right) is the recipient of the Elliot Dunlap Smith Award.