Murphy Receives Edward S. Diggs Teaching Scholar Award

Brian Murphy, fisheries and wildlife science professor at the college and director of the Conservation Management Institute, was awarded a 2007 Edward S. Diggs Teaching Scholar Award.
The award, established in 1992, honors outstanding teachers who make exceptional contributions that mutually benefit the classroom environment and the department’s academic mission. The winners each received a plaque and $500; their departments also received $500.

The award recipients were given an opportunity to publicly discuss an aspect of their teaching that addresses academic issues at the annual Diggs Teaching Award Scholar Roundtable and later at a seminar. Murphy’s presentation centered on the use of case-study teaching to strengthen students’ critical thinking skills and problem-solving abilities. “Case-study teaching and learning can be a powerful and engaging active-learning tool to stimulate higher-level thinking in students,” said Murphy.

Murphy is currently collaborating with colleagues at South Dakota State University and Virginia Tech on a compendium of case studies in global fisheries conservation and management to be published by the American Fisheries Society.

11/25/08