NEWSLETTER
  Animal Behavior Society

Jennifer E. Smith, PhD Assistant Professor, Department of Biology, Mills College, Oakland, California, USA Studying the behavioral ecology of free-living ground squirrels and social carnivores

The Penny Bernstein Distinguished Teaching Award is one of the annual ABS career awards that recognize contributions to the field of animal behavior. Since the first recipient, Jane Brockman (1995), distinguished recipients have included, among others, Gail Michener (2000), John Alcock (2007), and Bill Eberhard (2009). This award specifically recognizes a sustained record of excellent teaching and innovation in the classroom or informal education setting (e.g., zoos, aquaria, museums, 4-H programs, research labs, field stations, environmental centers). Awardees are nominated by their peers and students.

As always, there were many highly qualified nominees in 2016. Among them, Jennifer Smith, Assistant Professor of Biology at Mills College, stood out and was selected by the education committee. Jenn teaches Animal Behavior, Ecology, Vertebrate Biology and Marine Biology. She has been recognized for her innovative teaching by UCLA and Michigan State University and is especially known for drawing students into field research. Valeska Munoz, one of Smith’s students has summed it up: “It’s spectacular how much time and energy Professor Smith invests in her students and classes, though we know she has additional research to do and articles to write,” Munoz said. “She’s definitely a professor I can say made a difference in how I think of myself a woman in science.”