Professor Receives Montague-Center Teaching Excellence Award
COLLEGE STATION, TX – Dr. Waithaka Mwangi, Assistant Professor in the Department of Veterinary Pathobiology (VTPB) at the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences (CVM) was named a Montague Center for Teaching Excellence Scholar for 2013-14 on Tuesday.
The Montague-Center 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.
Mwangi said the grant money will be used to acquire contemporary computer-based technology and teaching platforms that will enable him to teach better and to help him acquire new teaching skills and ideas by attending training that is focused on equipping him to be more effective in undergraduate teaching.
“In being recognized as the CVM’s Montague-CTE Scholar, Dr. Mwangi has clearly demonstrated a commitment to enhancing the teaching of immunology to undergraduate students,” said Dr. Eleanor M. Green, Carl B. King Dean of Veterinary Medicine. “Dr. Mwangi’s students leave well-prepared for the rigors of a professional curriculum due to his engaging and dynamic teaching methods.”
Mwangi has been teaching the undergraduate-level course
Introduction to Immunology since 2007. The class, mostly taken by biomedical science students, tries to familiarize the students with the basic features of the immune system and how it functions.
“Dr. Mwangi is one of the most passionate and inspiring professors I have ever had class with,” said Angela Bordin, who took the graduate version of Dr. Mwangi’s Immunology course. “Somehow he is able to infuse his students with that passion about immunology.”
“Dr. Mwangi is an excellent teacher with great knowledge of his field,” said Megha Bijalwan, a former student of Mwangi’s. “He is very approachable and always ready to help.”
Other students echoed this sentiment; many noted how much Mwangi seems to truly care about his students and their education.
“Winning this award means a lot to me. I am a product of great teachers who captivated my passion for learning,” said Mwangi. “Being selected for this award is a great encouragement to me, and it has motivated me to put my best efforts in imparting knowledge to students by guiding them and equipping them with skills that will help them to take charge of their learning.”
“I enjoy imparting knowledge to students to enable them realize their dreams,” Mwangi added. “Motivating students to be engaged and to love learning is a source of joy and gratification since educating students is the catalyst that is transforming young minds to become world-class innovators.”
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 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 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.
