APLU’s Academic Programs Section Announces Winners of 2018 Innovative Teaching Award

Washington, DC — The Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) Board on Agriculture Assembly Academic Programs Section today named winners of its 2018 Innovative Teaching Awards. In their fifth year, the awards are intended to bolster innovation in the post-secondary teaching of agriculture and related fields.

The awards program encourages new faculty to expand their scholarship of teaching and learning by creating projects with more senior faculty from other institutions. This supports institutional collaboration and the adoption of innovative teaching and learning experiences for students at more institutions. Awardees share $3,000 to use on classroom aids, travel, or other project needs in the future.

“For junior faculty involved, this may be the first monetary award they receive, which, when combined with the mentoring by working with senior faculty on the project, should boost their abilities in the classroom,” said Wendy Fink, APLU Director of Food, Agriculture, and Natural Resources and Executive Director of the Academic Programs Section.

The APLU Board on Agriculture Assembly Academic Programs Section hopes these awards serve as a basis for continued innovation in agricultural education and as motivation to seek additional funding from other sources for continued innovation.

The full list of winners follows below:

Using YouTube Videos to Teach Techniques in Plant Propagation

• Mark Bridge, Professor and Director, Long Island Horticultural Research and Extension Center, Cornell University
• Nick Menchyk, Assistant Professor, Department of urban Horticulture and Design, Farmingdale State College

Increased Minority Success and Representation in Forensic Science through Collaborative Teaching Efforts

• Trevor Stamper, Clinical Assistant professor, Department of Entomology, Purdue University
• Krystal Hans, Assistant Professor, Delaware State University

Deciphering Food Laws and Regulations: An Interactive Course Module Approach to Enhance Student Learning and Understanding

• Francine H. Hollis, Assistant Professor and Assessment Coordinator, The University of Tennessee
• Cheryl Rock, Assistant Professor of Food Science, California State University, Long Beach

Developing and Diffusing a Cross-Disciplinary, Multi-Institutional University Entrepreneurial Leadership Graduate Course

• Matthew M. Mars, Assistant professor, Agricultural Leadership and Innovation, The University of Arizona
• Jeni Hart, Professor, Higher Education, and Associate Vice Chancellor for Graduate Studies and Associate Vice Provost for Advanced Studies, University of Missouri-Columbia

Integrative Use of an Incubator Farm Class Project to Enhance Student Engagement in Learning Organic Agriculture and Sustainable Food Systems

• Xin Zhao, Associate Professor, Horticultural Sciences Department, University of Florida
• Derek Farnsworth, Assistant Professor, Department of Food and Resource Economics, University of Florida
• Jacqueline Ricotta, Professor, Department of Plant Science, Delaware Valley University

Past winners can be viewed here.