UW-Madison soil science professor Teri Balser was one of four professors given the U.S. Professor of the Year Award in Washington, D.C., Thursday.
Balser, the first Wisconsin professor ever to win the award, won in the ""doctoral and research universities"" category.
The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education sponsored the award.
The winners were selected based on such criteria as their scholarly approach to teaching and learning, their impact on and involvement with undergraduates and their contributions to undergraduate education in the school.
Balser, who has taught at the university for 10 years, is the director of the Institute for Cross-College Biology Education.
Balser also received the 2009 USDA and Association of Public and Land-grant Universities Excellence in College and University Teaching Award.
Balser said she is a strong promoter of active learning by alternating her teaching techniques frequently through group projects and guest lecturers.
""A lot of what I do is about creating an optimal learning environment,"" Balser told UW Communications. ""I have learned that I can have an important impact on undergraduate learning without necessarily just standing up in front of the classroom talking at them.""
