Congratulations to Professor and Associate Department Head for Academic Programs Dr. Pete Teel for winning the Entomological Society of America’s (ESA) Distinguished Award In Teaching for 2016. This is the highest level of achievement from the ESA bestowed on its members.
The award is presented annually to members of the ESA that have achieved success throughout their career in teaching. Teel has been honored for his 38 years of teaching undergraduate and graduate entomology courses.
Teel currently teaches the Occupation and Professional Development course (ENTO 482), where students learn how to prepare themselves for entry into either graduate school or employment. He also teaches a graduate course in acaralogy (ENTO 617) where students learn about the systematics, morphology and
physiology and management of ticks and mites.
He also has directed the development and implementation of a 12-credit-hour undergraduate certificate in public health Entomology. This certificate program has 129 students enrolled from various colleges.
In addition to his role as classroom instructor at at Texas A&M, Teel has developed and taught various tick identification workshops for inspectors with the Texas Animal Health Commission and USDA working with statewide tick surveillance programs, as well as a forensic acarology workshop for the North American Forensic Entomology Association.
Teel has contributed to several programs on tick biology, ecology, and management for Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and has at the annual Texas A&M Beef Cattle Short Course held every summer. Every spring, he directs a 4-H and FFA Entomology clinic that helps youths with identifying insects, preparing them for the upcoming area and statewide contests during the summer.
Teel serves as the Associate Department Head for Academic Programs and Associate Director of the Forensic and Investigative Sciences program.
“I am deeply honored to be selected as the recipient of the Distinguished Achievement Award in Teaching for the Entomological Society of America,” he said. “I am very proud to be able to bring this home to our department as recognition of our outstanding teaching program.”
The award will be presented in September during the International Congress of Entomology meeting in Orlando.