Teacher of the Year Since joining the University in 1990, Joannes J. Westerink, associate professor in the Department of Civil Engineering and Geological Sciences and director of the Environmental Hydraulics Laboratory, has earned many accolades for his personable and approachable teaching style. Students describe him as a teacher who is “patient, laid-back, and easy to talk to.” They acknowledge that his classes are demanding, but they also say, “He is interested in getting to know us on a personal level and wants us to get the best out of his courses.” Westerink’s passion for his field, something students also comment upon, honors a long-standing tradition within the College of Engineering, as a civil engineering program has been offered at Notre Dame since 1873.