Zak Lancaster, Associate Professor of English, was selected by the URECA (Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities) Committee as the 2019 recipient of the Faculty Award for Excellence in Mentored Scholarship in the Arts and Humanities. The award honors faculty members who have distinguished themselves as excellent mentors of Wake Forest undergraduate scholars. It recognizes two faculty each year, one in the humanities and one in the sciences, who share their passion for scholarship and creative activities, and who encourage and inspire their students to work closely with them. About him the Wake Forest University Dean’s Office wrote:
Dr. Zak Lancaster, the recipient of this year’s faculty award for excellence in mentored scholarship in the humanities, has guided student research projects in linguistic analysis of student writing since joining the Department of English in 2012. As described by his department chair, the award winner is “an exemplary mentor of student research in every way…students learn immensely from their work with him as they encounter new worlds of academic inquiry.” His students have presented their work in the Smithsonian “castle” on the National Mall, engaging visitors in conversations about language and meaning while slideshows ran on screens behind them. Former student Maddie Moseley wrote that Dr. Zak Lancaster “not only strives to make students the best that they can be, but he values their experience in making sure they are excited and enjoying the opportunity to learn.” Keru Lou wrote “he is interested in and also shows respect to my cultural background as I am international student … our discussion about cultural values eventually developed into one of the areas of findings in our research … I learned so much about research skills, linguistic concepts, and cultural differences while working with Dr. Lancaster.”