EEMB in the News

Three EEMB Instructors win prestigious Teaching Awards

One EEMB Professor and 2 EEMB Teaching Assistants were recently honored with 2005-2006 Distinguished Faculty and Teaching Assistant Awards by the UCSB Academic Senate. Only eight faculty and four TA's across the whole UCSB campus were so honored.

Distinguished Teaching Award

Professor Robert Warner

An aspect of Professor Warner's teaching that is held in high regard is his mentoring of undergraduate students. Professor Warner is said to have any where from 3-4 undergraduate researchers working in his lab, many of whom go on to graduate school. He mentors both in L&S Biology and in CCS, and is well respected in each area for the work he does with undergraduates. He includes these researchers in his field work and involves them in many aspects of research. He has even taken on undergraduates as assistant teaching assistants, which provides them with an opportunity to learn not just about research, but also about teaching and preparing labs.

Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award

Stuart Levenbach

Stuart has been described by students as being "so much more than a Teaching Assistant, he is a teacher in every sense of the word." His work in EEMB goes beyond that of a "teaching assistant." Stuart has worked on a major revision of the Aquatic Communities course reader, and has worked voluntarily to develop a new set of modules (curriculum, exercise, and class materials) for EEMB 142a. A faculty member described Stuart as a "dream Teaching Assistant."

Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award

Craig Nelson

Craig's reputation for dedicated teaching is known among both faculty and students. Many faculty members acknowledge Craig for his efforts in the EEMB labs because he goes above and beyond what is normally expected. He provides extras for their classes such as: updating course materials, preparing new assignments, applying for research permits at local lakes, and even teaching a lecture class of over 500 students when one faculty member was stranded due to flooding. One faculty member described Craig as, "the most perceptive, innovative, creative, and personable Teaching Assistant I have encountered in my ten years at UCSB."