{"id":8616,"date":"2022-11-08T09:13:55","date_gmt":"2022-11-08T15:13:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin-new\/?post_type=campus_story&p=8616"},"modified":"2022-11-08T09:13:55","modified_gmt":"2022-11-08T15:13:55","slug":"uw-eau-claire-geography-professor-wins-national-award-for-mentoring-research-students","status":"publish","type":"campus_story","link":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/story\/uw-eau-claire-geography-professor-wins-national-award-for-mentoring-research-students\/","title":{"rendered":"UW-Eau Claire geography professor wins national award for mentoring research students"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Photo<\/a>
Dr. Douglas Faulkner, professor of geography, and Grace Bowe, an environmental studies major, examine the banks of western Wisconsin rivers as part of a faculty-undergraduate student research project. Faulkner is receiving a national award for his excellence in mentoring undergraduate research students. Bowe says her professor has helped her discover a passion for studying water and water resources. (Photo by Shane Opatz)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire professor is being recognized nationally for his commitment to and excellence in mentoring undergraduate student researchers.<\/p>\n

Dr. Douglas Faulkner, professor of geography, is the recipient of the 2022 Faculty Mentor Award by the Geosciences Division of the Council on Undergraduate Research.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis national award recognizes the outstanding mentoring Dr. Faulkner provides undergraduate students engaged in student-faculty collaborative research,\u201d says Dr. Erica Benson, interim director of the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs (ORSP) at UW-Eau Claire. \u201cMoreover, it is a testament to the reputation of UW-Eau Claire as a leader in undergraduate research.\u201d<\/p>\n

Saying his \u201chead is still spinning\u201d from learning about the \u201ctotally unexpected\u201d award, Faulkner says he is \u201chonored beyond words\u201d to be recognized for the mentoring work he does with his students.<\/p>\n

Faulkner, who has devoted his career to undergraduate education, says he considers mentoring students in research to be critical to his work as an educator because it provides students with a transformative learning experience.<\/p>\n

\u201cMentoring undergraduate researchers, while it can be trying, is tremendously fulfilling work,\u201d Faulkner says. \u201cIt encapsulates all that I seek to do as an educator, which is to leave a legacy of students more fully educated than they otherwise would\u2019ve been.<\/p>\n

\u201cI see this award as a sign \u2014 a very large, unexpected, flabbergasting sign \u2014 that my mentoring has had the effect I hoped it would have.\u201d<\/p>\n

Grace Bowe, who will graduate in spring 2024 with a degree in environmental geography and a certificate in water resources, is among the Blugolds who say working on research with Faulkner has been life changing.<\/p>\n

As a member of Faulkner\u2019s research team, the Chippewa Falls native spent her summer surveying cut banks along the Red Cedar River and the Eau Claire River, which she says was an \u201camazing experience\u201d and an incredible learning opportunity.<\/p>\n

\u201cDr. Faulkner is a seemingly endless source of knowledge,\u201d Bowe says. \u201cEvery day that I spent in the field and in class with Dr. Faulkner, I learned something new. As a mentor, he will go above and beyond to make sure you’re constantly learning and thriving at UWEC.\u201d<\/p>\n

Faulkner says his goal is that students come away from their research experiences with new skills, a greater confidence in their intellectual abilities and a more positive sense of self.<\/p>\n

He also hopes his student researchers become \u201ckeener and more curious observers,\u201d and that they come to realize that they can be \u201ccreators of knowledge and not mere consumers of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHelping students develop in these ways is why this work is important to me,\u201d Faulkner says of mentoring student researchers.<\/p>\n

Bowe says the research project is giving her the skills, knowledge and experiences she\u2019ll need to be successful in her future career, as well as reassuring her that she\u2019s following the right academic path.<\/p>\n

While she learned about the rivers and their fluvial geomorphology from the research project, it \u201calso gave me a newfound passion for studying water and water resources,\u201d Bowe says, noting that she\u2019s now even more excited to explore future careers surrounding fluvial studies.<\/p>\n

Bowe was drawn to environmental geography because she\u2019s \u201calways wanted to have a job where I am actively helping the good of humanity.\u201d Her hope, she says, is that she can use her degree to \u201chelp others while also helping the environment.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHopefully, through this career, I can share my love for the environment with others and actively work to help our climate,\u201d says Bowe, who hopes to work for the National Park Service after graduation.<\/p>\n

Brittney Winter, an environmental geography major from Abrams who will graduate in May 2023, also says it was Faulkner\u2019s teaching and mentoring that helped her discover her passion for environmental geography. She came to campus uncertain about a major but \u201cimmediately fell in love with geography\u201d after taking a geography class as a freshman.<\/p>\n

\u201cDr. Faulkner was one of my first geography professors my freshman year, and he was always looking to make class fun and interesting for everyone, even those who were not a declared geography major,\u201d Winter says. \u201cThe next semester, I declared my major in geography, and through digging deeper into the field, I officially became an environmental geographer by the end of my sophomore year.\u201d<\/p>\n

Winter also joined Faulkner\u2019s research team, which is investigating terraces along the Red Cedar and Eau Claire rivers. The researchers examine the sediment, soils and sands along the banks of the rivers to better understand the waterways\u2019 natural behaviors. They then use their understanding of the rivers\u2019 behaviors to predict future changes and patterns of the rivers, she says.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis research is building my resume, giving me career and field experience, and helping me make connections with colleagues from around the Midwest,\u201d Winter says. \u201cI also spent most of my summer kayaking up and down some of Wisconsin\u2019s most beautiful rivers, experiencing the outdoors in ways I never imagined.\u201d<\/p>\n

Faulkner\u2019s love for teaching and mentoring is reflected in his \u201cpassion for exploring and learning\u201d and in his efforts to offer his students once-in-a-lifetime learning opportunities, Winter says.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s always looking to make learning about geography fun and enjoyable, which makes working in the field with him so rewarding,\u201d Winter says.<\/p>\n

Faulkner cares deeply about the environment and the planet, which has inspired her to think about the world and her own career a little differently, Winter says.<\/p>\n

\u201cWorking with Dr. Faulkner has helped me better grasp my love for the outdoors, getting my hands dirty, and has shown me that I am capable of anything I put my mind to,\u201d Winter says. \u201cIt has been such an amazing opportunity, and has taught me a lot about myself, others and about the planet. It\u2019s all thanks to having Dr. Faulkner guide me through these experiences.\u201d<\/p>\n

After graduation, Winter hopes to find a job with the Department of Natural Resources that focuses on river or park restoration, or to work as a ranger in a national park.<\/p>\n

Faulkner \u2014 who also won UW-Eau Claire\u2019s Excellence in Mentoring award in 2017 \u2014 credits ORSP, UW-Eau Claire and its students for making it possible for faculty to involve undergraduate students in meaningful, real-world research.<\/p>\n

Dedicated faculty and staff, \u201ccurious and engaged\u201d Blugolds and a student body that supports using differential tuition dollars for research across disciplines all have helped UW-Eau Claire establish itself as a national leader in undergraduate student research, Faulkner says.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile this award has my name on it, I see it as recognition of the university and its commitment to the liberal education of undergraduates, especially through the high-impact practice of undergraduate research,\u201d Faulkner says.<\/p>\n

\n

Written by Judy Berthiaume<\/p>\n

Link to original story: https:\/\/www.uwec.edu\/news\/news\/geography-professor-wins-national-award-for-mentoring-research-students-5446\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire professor is being recognized nationally for his commitment to and excellence in mentoring undergraduate student researchers. Dr. Douglas Faulkner, professor of geography, is the recipient of the 2022 Faculty Mentor Award by the Geosciences Division of the Council on Undergraduate Research. \u201cThis national award recognizes the outstanding mentoring Dr. Faulkner […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":8618,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","institution":[96],"story_category":[],"class_list":["post-8616","campus_story","type-campus_story","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","institution-uw-eau-claire"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/campus_story\/8616","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/campus_story"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/campus_story"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8616"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8618"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8616"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"institution","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/institution?post=8616"},{"taxonomy":"story_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/story_category?post=8616"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}