Dr.Chris Whipps Honored with Foundation Award for Exceptional Achievement in Teaching Award

Dr. Chris Whipps, professor in ESF's Department of Environmental Biology (EB) and director of the SUNY Center for Applied Microbiology, is the recipient of the 2021 ESF College Foundation Award for Exceptional Achievement in Teaching.

Whipps is a dedicated teacher who teaches one of the largest courses on campus. He incorporates active learning components into his large General Biology lecture course.

His teaching style makes science come alive for his students, through case studies, technology, and class presentations designed to grab their attention and hold it as they learn general biology, parasitology, and life lessons.

"I have had ongoing conversations with Dr. Whipps the past 14 years about many topics, but especially teaching excellence, how to encourage other faculty towards this goal, and how to evaluate teaching excellence," said Dr. Melissa Fierke, chair of the Department of Environmental Biology. "I can also attest that with the advent of COVID that Dr. Whipps put in an incredible amount of time and effort into rethinking and bringing both of his courses to where they needed to be."

He focuses his research on fish and wildlife diseases. He is respected in his field of parasitology and fish health, reviewing more than 10 manuscripts a year and serving as associate editor of the "Journal of Parasitology" and section editor of "Parasitology Research." Whipps has also mentored multiple junior colleagues, helping them establish their programs and succeed in their endeavors.

Whipps has advised 10 masters and 3 Ph.D. students and has mentored more than 37 ESF undergraduates in his lab. His service to his department and the College is highly valued as he has served as chair of the Animal Care and Use Committee and as director of the SUNY Center for Microbiology for more than 10 years.

Whipps graduated master of science and Ph.D. students along the way and mentored more than 25 ESF undergraduates in his lab. His service to his department and the College is highly valued as he has served as chair of the IACUC committee and as director of ESF's Center for Microbiology for more than 10 years.

The Foundation Award was established in 1999 to celebrate the accomplishments of ESF faculty members who have achieved excellence in their teaching responsibilities.