TOP TEACHERS Two from SAH earn excellence awards
UWL students have spoken. They’ve submitted nominations and six UWL faculty members have been selected for the 2016 Eagle Teaching Excellence Award. Previously called the Provost’s Teaching Award, the honor recognizes excellence in teaching. Two of those cited were from SAH:
Matthew Andre, Exercise and Sport Science
Nicholas McGrath, Chemistry & Biochemistry
Years at UWL: 2
Years at UWL: 3
Teaches: Primarily upper-level strength-and-conditioning and fitness classes, which involve discussion of scientific theory, as well as practical hands-on components.
Teaches: Organic chemistry lectures and laboratories, general chemistry laboratory, and an advanced laboratory elective that he developed in synthetic organic chemistry.
History: Prior to UWL, Andre taught at the University of Kansas while working on a doctorate. Before that he taught at George Mason University while working on a master’s degree. Over the past 13 years, he has also coached individual-sport athletes in addition to personal-training the general population for a variety of fitness/health goals.
History: McGrath earned an undergraduate degree in chemistry from the University of Minnesota–Duluth and a doctorate in chemistry from Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. After five years at Cornell, he began a post-doctorate at UW-Madison. He spent three years there before coming to UWL.
Favorite part of teaching: “Instilling and cultivating hope and optimism in students. I meet many talented, wonderful students who are losing hope in their future, and it brings me great joy to see them gain hope, confidence and passion. They have the ability to increase their happiness and to increase their contributions to society regardless of what has previously happened or is currently happening around them, and it is exhilarating to see them start to realize their potential. This outstanding generation of students gives me great hope for the future.”
26 Science & Health News Summer 2016
Favorite part of teaching: “My favorite thing about teaching is reaching that ‘ah-ha’ moment when you see an important concept or idea just ‘click’ in the student’s head and you can tell that now they are on the same page and fully understand. I’m torn when it comes to deciding if I enjoy enthusiastically delivering a lecture to a group of 100 or the smaller 1-on-1 interactions in office hours. Both are very exciting and rewarding. I have absolutely loved my time here at UWL and look forward to a long career here working with our incredible students.”