David Ehrenfeld is 2011 Barbara Munson Goff Teacher of the Year

For more than 35 years, Dr. David Ehrenfeld has been a steady force in the classroom and as a special topics research advisor. He has taught Conservation Ecology (graduate) and Field Ecology (graduate/undergraduate) every fall, and Conservation Ecology (undergrad) and Principles of Ecology (undergrad) every spring. David developed Field Ecology with Jim Applegate, based in part on a similar course he had taught at Columbia University. Field Ecology is a unique course that takes advantage of the exceptionally diverse geology and natural history in New Jersey. At a time in our history when the very future of humanity may require that we all develop a certain knowledge of ecological principles, David Ehrenfeld – the consummate teacher of ecology – is our Barbara Munson Goff Teacher of the Year.

One of the principal themes of David’s teaching has been to devise ways of increasing feedback from his students. In conjunction with Professor Etkina of the Graduate School of Education, he developed a system of reading reports for Conservation Ecology – his most cherished undergraduate course – in which the students provide weekly written accounts of the scientific articles and books they have been assigned. Grading 35–40 papers a week takes time, but to David, it's worth the effort. In just a few weeks, he can learn which of the students need special attention, and what needs to be stressed in class discussions. David and Dr. Etkina described their pedagogic technique in an article published in BioScience.

David has adapted his novel feedback technique to Principles of Ecology, a large class of 300 students. By constantly striving to understand how he can improve the clarity of his lectures, and by encouraging active questioning during lecture, David has a remarkable ability to establish a powerful rapport with his students and an almost conversational level of interchange in his lectures – even with 300 students. He has maintained contact over the years with many graduates, enjoying their visits, writing letters of recommendation for them, and taking pleasure in their achievements.

David selects and works closely with the Teaching Assistants in Principles of Ecology. He is understandably very proud of the fact that his last 4 Head TAs and one other TA in Principles have won the coveted Graduate School's Teaching Award. Not surprisingly, David has always received high ratings for teaching effectiveness, commonly achieving ratings of 4.9 to 5.0 for overall teaching effectiveness. It is an understatement to say that he sets a very high standard for his students and for his faculty colleagues at the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences.

In addition to being a dedicated teacher, David is an established author of important books concerning interconnected themes of energy, conservation, and social ecology. He is deeply concerned about how best for humanity to progress into the future. Perhaps more than anything else, he is a committed conservation biologist, and founding editor of the leading journal Conservation Biology. The breadth of David’s knowledge and the philosophical basis of his ecological convictions are evident in the short YouTube video.

David loves teaching, even with all of its challenges, and every spring, the end of the semester is a bittersweet occasion for him. This spring, as the current semester comes to a close, we join David’s students in celebrating his long–overdue and well–deserved recognition as the 2011 Barbara Munson Goff Teacher of the Year.