Gary Fosmire, associate professor of nutritional sciences and professor-in-charge of the nutrition undergraduate program, will present the 2010 Excellence in Teaching Lecture. His lecture, titled "Lessons Learned During Thirty-One Years of Teaching," will be given at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, April 6, in the Bennett Pierce Living Center, 110 Henderson Building on the University Park campus of Penn State. The event, sponsored by the College of Health and Human Development, is free and open to the public.
Fosmire is highly regarded by both students and faculty for his devotion to students and to the art of teaching. His traditional approach of writing lecture notes on the blackboard by hand is one that catches students’ attention, and his accessibility and openness keeps students coming back to him for advice and guidance.
Several students have noted that Fosmire’s passion for teaching solidified their desire to become a nutrition major, and other students have commented that Fosmire has a compassionate personality and he instills the importance of nutrition in their lives.
As professor-in-charge of the department’s undergraduate program, Fosmire plays an important role in ensuring the teaching effectiveness of faculty in the department. In this role he reviews student and peer course evaluations with the department head, meets with faculty to discuss teaching, and offers suggestions to ensure that the program sustains its legacy of excellence in undergraduate education.
Fosmire received his bachelor of art's degree in chemistry and biochemistry and a doctorate in nutrition from the University of California, Berkeley. He has been a member of the nutritional sciences faculty since 1978.
The Excellence in Teaching Lecture is delivered each year by the most recent recipient of the HHD Alumni Society Excellence in Teaching Award, which honors a tenured or tenure-track college faculty member’s excellence in teaching and contributions to the art of teaching.