Hamer named Montague-Center for Teaching Excellence Scholar
COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Dr. Sarah Hamer, assistant professor in the Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences (VIBS) at the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences (CVM) was named a Montague-Center for Teaching Excellence Scholar for 2014-15.
With the grant provided by the Montague-CTE Scholars program, Hamer will develop a new high impact undergraduate course focused on field and laboratory methods in vector-borne disease ecology. She will teach the new course with a medical entomologist as a co-instructor and offer it to undergraduate students in a broad range of degree programs, including biomedical science and entomology. This diverse mixture of students should allow a rich exchange of ideas and experiences. Vector-borne disease will be the focus because disease-causing organisms transmitted by arthropod vectors (such as ticks) are a major public health burden that is increasing due to climate change. The Montague-Center for Teaching Excellence (CTE) Scholar award has been given annually since 1991 to one tenure-track faculty member from each college, based on their early ability and interest in teaching. Awardees receive a $6,500 grant to encourage further development of undergraduate teaching excellence.
“Dr. Hamer joins a distinguished group of young faculty members in our college who have been recognized with this honor for their excellence in teaching,” said Dr. Eleanor M. Green, the Carl B. King Dean of Veterinary Medicine. “We are proud of Dr. Hamer for her commitment and dedication to providing an excellent learning environment for students both within our college and from other programs across the university.”
Hamer teaches the undergraduate-level VIBS course in introductory epidemiology in the spring semester each year. She also gives guest lectures in undergraduate classes in a multitude of disciplines including biology, bioenvironmental sciences, and wildlife and fisheries science.
“I am very excited for and about the new high impact undergraduate learning opportunities that will result from the Montague scholarship being awarded to Dr. Hamer,” said Dr. Evelyn Tiffany-Castiglioni, department head of VIBS. “Her research expertise is in vector-borne disease ecology. The new course will allow undergraduates to participate in hands-on research projects. As the course is repeated year after year by new cohorts of students, it will help yield long-term datasets and meaningful contributions to science. This is a great opportunity for students and for the college.”
The Montague-CTE Scholars awards are named in honor of Kenneth Montague, Texas A&M class of ’37, a distinguished alumnus and outstanding trustee of the Texas A&M Foundation, who had a long and storied career in the Texas oil industry. The award is designed to benefit Aggies who are life-long learners and contributors to their communities.
The object of the Center for Teaching Excellence is to stimulate the development of innovative teaching strategies and technologies at Texas A&M University and to recognize excellence in teaching early in a faculty member’s career.
