January 30, 2025

Mizzou Engineer Reginald Rogers Jr. is one of 10 new Teaching Fellows at the Mizzou Honors College. The Teaching Fellows form a collaborative cohort that work with Honors faculty and administrators to develop and teach the “Honors Book Club” course.

Story by Logan Jackson

For the past year, a trio of University of Missouri faculty have allowed students pursuing the Honors Certificate the opportunity to dig deeper into the Honors College One Read book.

The Honors College Teaching Fellows were developed to honor the incredible teaching legacy of Ted Tarkow, a professor emeritus of classical studies. Funded, in part, through an endowed gift in honor of Ted and Marjorie Tarkow, the Teaching Fellows form a collaborative cohort that work with Honors faculty and administrators to develop and teach the “Honors Book Club” course, which offers students the opportunity to dive deeper into the selected One Read book. The gift was specifically designed to support faculty as they mentor students in smaller classroom settings.

The program is overseen by Maya Gibson, an assistant teaching professor of women’s and gender studies in the Honors College. Support for the program also comes from the Chancellor’s Fund for Excellence.

“The first year of this program was incredibly rewarding – for both our students and the faculty,” said Catherine Rymph, dean of the Honors College. “Our inaugural cohort did such a nice job of laying the groundwork for this fellowship. We are very excited to add to the cohort, too, with seven faculty from a variety of fields from across the Mizzou campus. This group is going to bring unique perspectives to the course and provide outstanding experiences for our students.”

Reginald Rogers – Associate Professor (Chemical and Biomedical Engineering)

Rogers has played a vital role for Mizzou engineering students who are pursuing the Honors Certificate, offering them opportunities to earn credit toward the certificate through various Honors sections of his courses. He has also been active with the college as part of the Honors College Curriculum Committee and is looking forward to working with Honors faculty in a different capacity.

“It was absolutely rewarding to be named an Honors College Teaching Fellow!” Rogers said. “On a scale of 1-10 (with 10 being extremely excited), I would say I am a 10! Being named a Tarkow Teaching Fellow speaks to the success I have had in the classroom, and I deeply appreciate the recognition from the Honors College.

“Interacting with faculty across campus in different fields is one of the rewards of being a Teaching Fellow. It provides the opportunity for different perspectives to be shared and for growth amongst all of us. I am seriously looking forward to hearing from my colleagues as we discuss the upcoming One Read book.”

Rogers has won numerous awards for his teaching efforts, including the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) Minority Affairs Community Distinguished Service Award (2024), the College of Engineering Senior Faculty Excellence in Teaching Award (2024) and the AIChE Education Division Award for Excellence in Chemical Engineering Teaching Practice (2023).

Along with his work in the classroom, Rogers has a robust research portfolio. His research interests are focused on improved water resources using novel nanomaterials (e.g. carbon nanotubes). His group’s focus is on developing 2D and 3D structures specifically tailored toward removal of targeted contaminants from water systems.

“This new opportunity is very exciting, as I will be stepping out of my natural comfort zone to teach something that most engineers don’t do … examining non-technical literature!” Rogers said. “I view this opportunity as one to show the incoming Honors students the versatility of someone in a purely applied technical field to demonstrate both adaptability and challenging oneself. I’m hoping my interactions with the incoming Honors students will inspire them to rethink any preconceived notions they may have regarding an engineering professor teaching them about the One Read book.”

This story is excerpted from the Mizzou Honors College. Read the full piece here.