The United States Department of Agriculture has selected two scholars to received the 2017 National Excellence in College and University Teaching Award. Both recipients are women.
Suzanne Nielsen is a professor of food science at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. She joined the faculty at Purdue in 1983 and chaired the food science department for a decade. Dr. Nielsen is the editor of the text book Food Analysis (Springer, 5th edition, 2017). Professor Nielsen is a graduate of the University of Nebraska. She earned a master’s degree and a Ph.D. at the University of Minnesota.
Ann Marie VanDerZanden is a professor of horticulture and associate provost for academic programs at Iowa State University. She also serves as director of the university’s Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching. Professor VanDerZanden is the president-elect of the North American College and Teacher of Agriculture. She holds a bachelor’s degree in horticulture and a Ph.D. in horticulture from Washington State University. Professor VanDerZanden also holds a master’s degree from Cornell University. She joined the faculty at Iowa State University in 2003.