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I think for me the research I do and the teaching I do are
very intertwined.
I teach physiology, how animals work.
I teach neurobiology, how the brain gives rise to behaviors.
And I try to study those same things with my research but
not in humans.
So a lot of what I teach about in my classroom has to do with
humans, but the research has to do with marine species.
And I've chosen to work on those species because they are
suitable for specific types of things.
So nudibranchs have very big neurons, and horseshoe crabs
have some fascinating behaviors.
And lobsters I study because, surprisingly, very little is
known about their actual behavior and physiology.
A 92 male.
Teaching in the classroom only goes so far.
You can't really teach students much
about how to do science.
You have to do that hands-on in the laboratory by getting
them involved with your research.
They have to experience the day to day frustrations, the
problem solving.
They have to experience that feeling
of discovering something.
You might teach a 150 kids a year.
You might have a moderate impact on 50 of them.
You might have a strong impact on 30 of them.
55.
And then, there's those 10 students who are special for
whatever reason.
And you're able to give them the attention that they need
or deserve.
And they, in turn, become really spectacular.
That was a great dive, Win.
I was only a fair professor when I came to UNH.
And it's taken me a long time to get where I am now.
And all of that growth has been the result of watching
other good professors and seeing what they do well and
then trying to incorporate that into my own teaching.
So I owe a lot to my colleagues, and my peers, and
the people that came before me.
We don't get as much recognition as we would like.
You teach a class.
You'd hope at the end of the class they give you a standing
ovation or something.
But of course, that never happens.
So winning the Brierley Award is one of the most satisfying
experiences I've had as a professor.
I really appreciate the recognition from my peers and
from the students.
And it makes me feel like I've achieved a level of excellence
that I've been striving for most of my career in terms of
an educator.