Engineering professor Michael Biers earns regional teaching honor

September 18, 2017

Indiana Tech is pleased to announce that adjunct professor, Michael Biers, has been named Questa Education Foundation Teacher of the Year by Greater Fort Wayne Business Weekly.

Biers was honored on Sept. 16 when the publication released its 2017 Education Award winners. The awards recognize outstanding teachers in northeast Indiana who engage and inspire their students, and encourage life-long learning. Biers and other award winners will be recognized at an awards banquet on Oct. 18 at Allen County War Memorial Coliseum.

“Michael is an outstanding adjunct engineering instructor for us. His evaluations, completed by students, are consistently among the best. Students love his ability to teach both the theory and the hands-on applications in his courses,” said David Aschliman, dean of Indiana Tech’s College of Engineering. “Believe it or not, Michael takes ‘vacation time’ from his full-time job to teach in the Indiana Tech Engineering Summer Camp.  We sincerely appreciate his service to Indiana Tech students.”

Biers has taught electrical engineering courses at Indiana Tech as an adjunct professor for a little more than a decade. He is a senior design engineer at Harris Corporation in Fort Wayne.

“Winning this award is quite an honor, but I am just doing what I love to do,” Biers said. “Sharing my expertise with students and helping them move forward in their careers is special to me. I’m happy that Indiana Tech cultivates the type of positive learning environment that allows me to do that.”

Indiana Tech thanks all award winners for creating stellar learning environments for their students.

IPFW Lifetime Achievement Award Higher Education 

Ahmed Rachdi, IPFW

Continuing Lecturer, Doermer School of Business 

IPFW Lifetime Achievement Award Pre-K-12

Vicki Aniton, Early Childhood Alliance Beacon Learning Center

Pre-School Teacher 

Questa Education Foundation Teacher of the Year

Mike Biers, Indiana Tech

Adjunct Professor, College of Engineering 

IPFW Leadership Award Higher Education

John Milliken, Trine University

Professor, Department of Criminal Justice, Psychology and Social Services/Assistant VP for Academic Services 

IPFW Leadership Award Pre-K-12

Amy Scott, Ascension Lutheran School

1st Grade Teacher  

IPFW Emerging Star Award

James Canino, Trine University

Associate Professor, Wade Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering 

IPFW Innovation in Teaching Award

Brenda Fleetwood, Wolf Lake Elementary 

5th Grade Teacher 

Principal of the Year

Tiffanney Drummond, Huntington County Community School Corporation

Director of Career & Technical Education

Art Teacher of the Year

Laurel Campbell, IPFW 

Associate Professor of Art Education/Director of Art Education 

IPFW Counselor/Student Advocate of the Year

Alyssa Juday, West Noble Primary 

School Counselor 

Language Arts Teacher of the Year

Joe Camp, Fremont High School

English Teacher 

Mathematics Teacher of the Year

Andrew Nash, Wayne High School

Mathematics Teacher

Music Teacher of the Year

Mark Kays, Trine University

Director of Instrumental Music 

Outstanding Contribution to Special Needs Children

Michelle Casiano, Holland Elementary

Teacher Resource Interventionist 

Science Teacher of the Year 

Benjamin Shappell, Leo High School

Biomedical Science – Project Lead the Way Teacher

Social Studies Teacher of the Year

Matthew Mertes, North Side High School

Social Studies Teacher 

Early Childhood Teacher of the Year

Martha Shul, Good Shephard United Methodist Church Pre-School

Preschool Teacher 

Teaching Excellence in Sports

Bill Maddock, Trine University

Associate Professor, Ketner School of Business