Our heartiest congratulations to professors James Leighton and Mark Mazower, the newest recipients of the Mark Van Doren and Lionel Trilling Awards, respectively. The awards were doled out by the Columbia College Academic Awards Committee, which is made up of 10 CC students who have overseen the selection process throughout the year.

Leighton is a Chemistry professor who teaches the infamously difficult Organic Chemistry class to undergrads. He has also done extensive research into strategies in asymmetric synthesis (eek!) and has already won the CU Lenfest Distinguished Faculty Award.

Mazower, a History professor, earned the Trilling Prize for his eighth book Hitler’s Empire: How the Nazis Ruled Europe. Both CULPA gold-stars will be honored in a ceremony in Low Library on May 7th.