Lake Tahoe Community College English instructor Michael O’Laughlin and sociology/anthropology instructor Dr. Scott Lukas have been honored for their outstanding work in the classroom.

O’Laughlin was selected by LTCC students as their Teacher of the Year, and Lukas was chosen by his fellow faculty members as the Distinguished Faculty Award recipient. The winners will each receive $500 thanks to a generous donation by the LTCC Foundation, as well as another $500 to direct toward the LTCC program or scholarship or classroom materials of their choice.

O’Laughlin has been a full-time English instructor at LTCC since 1996. Before that, he taught as an adjunct instructor at LTCC for three years. He earned his M.F.A at the University of Iowa, home of the prestigious Iowa Writers’ Workshop. He’s a published author who won a Henfield Award in 1992 for his short story, “The Diorite Whales.” He also published a novel, “Omens in a Dry Season: A Novel of Yosemite,” in 2001.

Lukas has been teaching anthropology and sociology at LTCC since 1998. Before that, he taught at Valparaiso University for two years, and was a visiting professor in American Studies at the Johannes Gutenberg University in Germany last summer. He earned his PhD in Anthropology from Rice University, writing his dissertation about the American theme park industry. Lukas is the author and editor of six books, including “The Immersive Worlds Handbook: Designing Theme Parks and Consumer Spaces,” and “Theme Park,” which was just released in Arabic. He also appeared in the documentary “The Nature of Existence” and has been interviewed in his area of expertise by Wisconsin Public Radio, the Washington Post, and the Daily Beast.