We are so proud that David’s dedication to student Teaching and Learning is recognized by the Faculty of Science. David delivers courses and assessments with student employment needs in mind. When David developed Food Safety Risk Assessment in 2018, he filled an important training gap by creating an interdisciplinary course that highlights how scientific data informs evidence-based decision making. In doing so, he combined case studies and authentic assessments to mimic the work of government regulators in evaluating chemical risks. Similarly, David developed Analysis of Food Contaminants with highly relevant workplace skills in mind. Experiments in this course follow Official Methods of Analysis (OMA from AOAC International). Lab reports are substituted by briefing notes in which students communicate their findings in the context of national and international policies. Through it all, David provides a safe environment with frequent feedback opportunities to guide students in developing transferable skills of analysis, evaluation, and communication.
Beyond teaching courses in food science, David has been mentoring students in research. David provides strong mentorship for students from chemistry, food science, and biochemistry in research projects on natural products chemistry. David is also involved in student Teaching and Learning through undergraduate curriculum activities. David lead our efforts to develop a specialization in chemical toxicology. He is also heavily involved in undergraduate curriculum work in the Department of Chemistry and the Institute of Biochemistry.
David, thank you for being such an amazing colleague!