UNL’s Tiffany Heng-Moss has received the 2013 National Teaching Award for Food and Agriculture Sciences.
Heng-Moss, a professor of entomology, was one of two professors in the nation to be honored by the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities. The award was presented at the 126th annual APLU meeting, Nov. 10-13 in Washington, D.C.
Since joining the UNL faculty in 2001, Heng-Moss has developed and taught both undergraduate and graduate courses and provided leadership for the development and implementation of the insect science bachelor’s degree program. One of her primary teaching responsibilities is an introductory insect biology course, which is taken by about 200 students per semester and was the first online concurrent course offered at UNL through the Advanced Scholars program.
Heng-Moss provides leadership for a university-wide science literacy program that seeks to integrate classroom instruction on food, energy, water and sustainability within the UNL undergraduate curriculum, along with partnering with educational entities to map food, energy and water programming with PK-12 next generation science standards. She played a pivotal role in the development of the first undergraduate online degree completion program at UNL and is making contributions to student learning and the quality of the student experience as a co-PI on a $1.2 million National Science Foundation grant.
“Dr. Heng-Moss has a phenomenal capacity for engaging students and a limitless energy for teaching,” said Steve Waller, dean of UNL’s College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources. “She is compassionate yet challenging in the classroom. She is a scholar and a scientist, a collaborator and a mentor.”
Michael Eugene Wetzstein of the University of Georgia was the other national honoree. Six regional and two new teachers also were honored.
Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the American Association of State Colleges and Universities and APLU, the annual awards include stipends of $5,000 for the national winners and $2,000 for regional and new teacher honorees to be used for improving teaching at their respective universities.
“When alumni recall their college days, they often think of teachers who had the biggest impact on them,” said Ian Maw, vice president of Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources at APLU. “The teachers presented with these awards will be fondly remembered for their service to students, to the teaching profession, and to their chosen disciplines. The value of these teachers to their universities cannot be overstated.”
The Association of Public and Land-grant Universities is a research, policy, and advocacy organization representing 223 public research universities, land-grant institutions, state university systems, and related organizations. Founded in 1887, APLU is the nation’s oldest higher education.
