The recipient of the Dalhousie University Faculty of Agriculture 2022 Early Career Teaching Excellence Award is Dr. Travis Esau, Department of Engineering.

Travis has been teaching in the Engineering department since 2018, and has taught many courses in both the undergrad and graduate level. He’s been described as “creating an environment of positivity while consistently demanding the highest quality of work from those around him.” Dr. Esau demonstrates his effectiveness of teaching by providing students with the necessary resources, support, and motivation that they need to succeed in a course. He had been able to effectively maneuver his course material to a hybrid learning style with online materials in the form of PowerPoints, video presentations, and Teams meetings.

Travis’s teaching philosophy includes:
-Helping students develop their critical thinking skills, something that can be used to succeed in a broad spectrum of occupations and life in general.
-Creating a positive atmosphere that encourages intellectual thought and diversity.
-And a combination of teacher-centred lecturing and student-centred learning.

Travis has also made numerous contributions outside of the classroom. For example, he has been an active judge for national 4-H competitions on campus, and as Regional Director of the Canadian Society for Bioengineering, he provided sponsorship and hosted a networking event for undergraduate and graduate students. These are just a few contributions.

“Dr. Esau’s students understand that he has an open door policy, and he is never worried about rushing you out the door. If you have 15 questions he will sit there with you until you’re satisfied with the answers to all of them, and this is no exaggeration. If this means he needs to work an extra 2-3 hours that day, it doesn’t seem to matter to him, and this is truly his most admirable quality as an instructor and mentor.”