FACULTY SPOTLIGHT
The Outdoor Classroom Dr. Robin Hirsh-Jacobson Awarded 2018-2019 Distinguished Professor of the Year
“I LOVE WITNESSING A STUDENT CATCH INSPIRATION; A REAL PASSION FOR A TOPIC.”
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Lauded as a professor who teaches with incredible enthusiasm for Biology that keeps students engaged, Dr. SCIENCE Robin Hirsch-Jacobson, Associate Professor of Biology, was chosen by students at William Woods University as this year’s distinguished professor at WWU. Hirsch-Jacobson received the Louis D. Beaumont Dad’s Association Distinguished Professor Award for Excellence in Teaching at the University’s academic honors convocation on April 26. The award carries an honorarium and is presented annually to a faculty member who has displayed dedication to teaching. Recipients of the award are nominated and chosen by students. One student commented that Hirsch-Jacobson “illustrates his knowledge and how current he is in the field by effortlessly and extemporaneously answering any questions and providing broader context.” Hirsch-Jacobson was also praised as someone who “is very good at interacting with the students and (who) has done such a good job of making the material very easy to understand, even with difficult topics. He expresses ways that what he teaches has to do with our real life. I think he deserves this award because he was able to take me, someone who is not very good at science courses in general, and made me very interested and educated in Biology.” Prior to joining the William Woods University faculty in 2011, Hirsch-Jacobson earned his Ph.D. in Biological Sciences from the University of Missouri – Columbia. He also holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Environmental Studies and a Bachelor of Science degree in Marine Biology, both from the University of California-Santa Cruz, which he earned in 2001. His areas of expertise include Environmental Studies, Conservation Biology, Ecology, Biology and Ornithology.
Above: Students observe the effects of fire on species composition at Tucker Prairie. Left: Dr. HirschJacobson teaches about the American Goldfinch Below: Family photo taken at a banana farm in Tanzania.
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