Skip Navigation
September 4, 2018

Jeff Pierce named Outstanding Professor of the Year

Associate Professor Jeff Pierce was chosen as the 2017-18 Outstanding Professor of the Year by Department of Atmospheric Science graduate student representatives, based on evaluations submitted by students. Students fill out surveys for each course throughout the academic year, and grad reps then determine which professor received the most support and should be honored for teaching excellence.

Graduate Representative Andrea Jenney presented Pierce with a plaque at the New Student Welcome Picnic on Aug. 30.

“Students agree that Jeff clearly teaches with passion and excels at making his content relatable,” she said. “Students also appreciate Jeff’s student-focused teaching style and time spent on in-class discussions. One student wrote, ‘I audited this class and still wanted to show up, that’s how useful and engaging it was!’ ”

Pierce thanked his students for the distinction.

“It means so much to get this positive feedback from the students! We, as faculty, spend a lot of time thinking about how best to keep our classes exciting and how to explain concepts clearly, so it’s great to know when the students think things are working well.”

He added, “I feel extremely lucky to work with such bright and inquisitive students in our department. There is nothing more enjoyable in my job than having the class spontaneously turn into a full-class discussion of science topics.”