![\"\"](\"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/FMS-award-winner-2-RS.jpg\")
<\/a>Teaching Excellence Award winner Jeffrey Atkinson, left, seen with Honorary Doctorate recipient Edward Burtynsky on stage during Convocation.<\/p><\/div>\n
Ejaz Ahmed, Dean of the Faculty of Mathematics and Science, said Atkinson exemplifies the quality of teaching found in the Faculty.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom research excellence and distinguished teachers like Jeffrey, our Faculty and staff provide students with exceptional learning opportunities. I am exceedingly proud of his work and ongoing commitment to students,” he said.<\/p>\n
The award comes as the professor and current departmental chair celebrates 25 years with Brock\u2019s Department of Chemistry.<\/p>\n
During his time at Brock, Atkinson has watched the mode of delivery shift from chalkboards to overheads to PowerPoint. Despite the change, one thing has remained constant: the lasting impact his teaching has had on students.<\/p>\n
\u201cOften when my past students have returned to say hello, they will speak of those times when the lecture was forgotten, a story was told, and a moment was shared,\u201d said Atkinson. \u201cThat they would remember something years later that only took a minute, shows me how deeply personal learning can be and how fun it is to teach smart, engaged people.\u201d<\/p>\n
Along with earning a reputation for being an exceptional educator, Atkinson also has a long and successful record of supervising students. He has graduated a total of 59 graduate and fourth-years Honours undergraduate students, with six thesis supervisions currently underway.<\/p>\n
Atkinson has also been a dedicated mentor to a host of undergraduate summer students, many funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada\u2019s Undergraduate Student Research Awards (NSERC USRA). Since 1996, he has been involved in the acclaimed high school Science Mentorship Program<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cAll of these students have gone on to successful careers in research, teaching or industry,\u201d said nominator and Chair, Centre for Biotechnology, Art van der Est.<\/p>\n Having had excellent teachers at all levels of his schooling, Atkinson understands the importance of mentorship.<\/p>\n \u201cMentoring can be as simple as pointing out patterns. In the laboratory setting where I get to know my students best, these moments come when the students question the results of an experiment or suggest a new, better way to do something,\u201d he said.\u00a0\u201cThat\u2019s when teaching becomes a partnership and that\u2019s special.\u201d<\/p>\n Quick to credit students in his lab, Atkinson also champions for their success at Brock and beyond.<\/p>\n