Murphy Award winner: John Dunning

May 3, 2011

John Dunning, professor of forestry and natural resources. (Purdue University photo/Mark Simons)

Download image

Five exceptional teachers were honored with 2011 Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching Awards in Memory of Charles B. Murphy at the Faculty Awards Convocation on April 28. This week, Purdue Today will feature a profile on each of the recipients. Today, we focus on John Dunning, professor of forestry and natural resources.

Dunning has devoted his career to teaching and doing research in the fields of conservation, ornithology, environmental issues and conservation biology. Whether it's going on field trips with his class to watch birds, or traveling globally in study abroad programs, Dunning uses out-of-class experiences to show students global, national and local perspectives on environmental issues.

Dunning teaches six to seven courses and has more than 600 students annually. His instructor rating is 4.7 out of 5 points. Since Dunning began teaching the introductory forestry and natural resources course, the student enrollment has increased from 250 students to more than 460. 
  
"I enjoy meeting with students and seeing their eyes open in the classroom when they learn something that surprises them," Dunning said. "I try to make my large enrollment classes as interactive as I can, even with 380 students present."

Dunning is involved with students outside of the classroom as well. He takes students on field trips and routinely leads bird walks in Horticulture Park in the spring and fall. He also serves as the advisor for the student chapter of The Wildlife Society. For Dunning, helping others learn about nature is just part of doing what he loves.

After studying in Mexico as an undergraduate, Dunning was inspired to organize study abroad experiences for Purdue students.

Since 1997, Dunning has been part of a study abroad course about international natural resource issues. In this program, students from three universities travel together to study and interact with other cultures.

"We form the students into international teams and each team studies a different aspect of the issues that the course is designed around," Dunning said. "This lets our Purdue students work with people from very different backgrounds, and also hear how problems are solved in different parts of the world."

Dunning said he is humbled by the Murphy Award nomination and thinks it will inspire him to continue teaching in the future.