TEACHING EXCELLENCE AWARD
MARK CHYNOWETH S.J. & Jessie E. Quinney College of Natural Resources Mark Chynoweth is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Wildland Resources in the Quinney College of Natural Resources. He joined QCNR in August of 2017 and has quickly become a teaching, mentoring force in the college. Located in the Uintah Basin, Mark teaches a full load while mentoring and building partnerships. He teaches six core courses across three different formats: face-to-face, broadcast, and online. His teaching abilities and talents have not been slowed down by the pandemic. Along with a heavy teaching load, he has also developed nine courses since joining QNCR that cover a wide breadth of topics. He excels at the challenges of delivering a great learning experience in different formats and topics. After spending three years on Catalina Island working as a marine science instructor, teaching students in marine ecology, Mark completed his masters at the University of Hawaii at Manoa and, in 2017, his Ph.D. at the University of Utah, where he worked to increase protected areas for large carnivores. Never slowing down in his momentum, he has taken to his role in QCNR with enthusiasm and hard work. He has spent the last seven years conducting fieldwork in northeastern Turkey focused on brown bears, gray wolves, and Eurasian lynx; he is involved with the Wildlife Society and was recently elected to the executive board of their College and University Education Working Group; and he is engaged in building internship opportunities for the students in the Uinta Basin Mentoring Program. Mark lives in Vernal, Utah with his wife, two dogs, and six chickens. In his free time, Mark enjoys human-powered exploration of the outdoors. He especially enjoys mountain biking (McCoy Flats), backcountry skiing (Ashley National Forest), and sailing (Flaming Gorge Reservoir). He is attempting to become a novice beekeeper on their historic Uintah County property.
– 24 –
