By:
Robin KoestoyoSource(s):
Sandra Wilson sbwilson@ifas.ufl.edu, (772) 468-3922 ext. 107
Brian Scully brts@ifas.ufl.edu, (772) 468-3922
P.J. van Blokland PJvanBlokland@ifas.ufl.edu, (772) 468-3922
Terril Nell tnell@ifas.ufl.edu, (352) 392-1831 ext. 377
FORT PIERCE, Fla.—Sandra Wilson, an associate professor of environmental horticulture at the University of Florida’s Indian River Research and Education Center in Fort Pierce, will receive the Teacher Fellow Award from North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture (NACTA) during the organization’s annual meeting in Wooster, Ohio, June 17.
Brian Scully, director of the Fort Pierce center, said Wilson was nominated for the award because of her outstanding research and education programs, including excellent student evaluations of her teaching program in environmental horticulture.
“Sandra Wilson is an asset to the research and education program at the center and UF’s College of Agricultural and Life Sciences,” Scully said. “She deserves to be honored for her work with students, faculty and staff.”
Wilson, who teaches five courses in environmental horticulture and has authored more than 70 articles for scientific and trade journals, has attracted nearly $900,000 in teaching and research grants. One grant was used to develop a virtual greenhouse that includes interactive multimedia modules for education.
Students in her course on Florida native landscaping help create and maintain a botanical garden at the Fort Pierce center, which is part of UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. The garden serves as an outdoor laboratory where students learn to identify and care for 250 plant species.
P.J. van Blokland, a professor of food and resource economics who oversees teaching programs at the center, said Wilson cares about her students and will do everything possible to help them realize their potential. He said letters from former students point to Wilson’s strong commitment to teaching.
Terril Nell, chairman of the UF/IFAS environmental horticulture department, said the award highlights Wilson’s achievements and demonstrates the overall excellence of the department’s statewide teaching and research programs.
Wilson, who joined the UF/IFAS faculty in 1999, has a doctoral degree in plant physiology from Clemson University. She also completed post-doctoral programs at Clemson and Chiba University in Japan. Her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in animal and plant science are from the University of Delaware.
-30-
0
