West Virginia University faculty member Katherine B. Aaslestad was recently named a recipient of the Distinguished Alumna Award from the University of Mary Washington (formerly Mary Washington College) in Fredericksburg, Va.
Aaslestad is an associate professor in the Department of History in the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences.
The award is presented to graduates who display exceptional achievement in their careers, the arts or civic activities.
I am deeply honored to be recognized as a distinguished alumna from my undergraduate alma mater,Aaslestad said.My professors there really pushed me to challenge myself beyond my academic �€~comfort zone.They nurtured in me a passion to study German history and that passion is still alive.
Aaslestad earned a bachelors in history at Mary Washington in 1985, then a masters degree and doctorate in history from the University of Illinois.
She joined the WVU faculty in 1997, and is the history departments specialist on modern Germany. Both her teaching fields and research areas feature 19th century Europe and the centrality of warfare and nationalism in modern Germany.
Aaslestads book,Place and Politics: Local Identity, Civic Culture and German Nationalism in North Germany during the Revolutionary Era,appeared in 2005, and she has published numerous articles and book chapters.
She also co-edited two journal volumes that examine the significance of the Napoleonic Wars on 19th century German Central Europe.
During her 10-year stay at WVU , Aaslestad has been recognized with a number of awards, including the Woodburn Professor Award, an award honoring associate professors in mid-career who demonstrate outstanding achievement in research, teaching and service. She has also received the John R. Williams Outstanding Teaching Award from the WVU Honors Program, the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences Outstanding Teaching Award and the WVU Foundation Teaching Award.
She advises the WVU chapter of Phi Alpha Theta, the history honorary society, and the WVU History Club.
For more information, contact Aaslestad at 304-293-2421 ext. 5237 or Katherine.Aaslestad@mail.wvu.edu .