AFS's Chance Brooks wins NARRU Distinguished Educator Award
A strong commitment to teaching has garnered Chance Brooks, a professor and associate chair of Texas Tech's Department of Animal and Food Sciences, the 2016 Non-Land-Grant Agricultural and Renewable Resources Universities' (NARRU) Distinguished Educator Award, university officials announced today (Oct. 18).
"It's an honor to be chosen," said Brooks, who holds two degrees from Texas Tech. "I thoroughly enjoy teaching at my alma mater and I greatly appreciate the support I have received from Texas Tech, the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources and the Department of Animal and Food Sciences."
Brooks was presented his award at a special presentation on Tuesday (Oct. 4) during a NARRU meeting in Platteville, Wisconsin.
A native of Meadow, Brooks earned his bachelor's degree from Texas Tech in 1994 and his master's degree in 1997, both in animal science, before earning his doctoral degree in meat science from Texas A&M in 2000. He began his tenure at Texas Tech in 2003 after three years at Oklahoma State.
At Texas Tech, Brooks teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in meat science. His research focuses on beef tenderness and flavor, meat color and stability during storage, and the nutritive value of meat.
He has also frequently presented short courses and programs for various organizations in the industry, including Texas Beef Council and the U.S. Meat Export Federation. Recent awards for Brooks include the USDA Food and Agricultural Sciences Excellence in Teaching Award (2014).
Brooks' scores for instructor performance have consistently exceeded those of Texas Tech, the college and his department, ranking him as one of the top teachers at Texas Tech. Brooks serves as a teaching faculty mentor for assistant professors in the department's peer mentor program and as a mentor for graduate students in the Teaching Effectiveness and Career Enhancement (TEACH) program.
Brooks has graduated 26 master's and doctoral students, was a committee member of an additional 66 graduates, and served as undergraduate advisor to more than 350 students since his tenure began at Texas Tech. During his tenure, Brooks has taught more than 1,800 students at Texas Tech and garnered 26 honors and awards.
Brooks has also been active in research. He has served as investigator or co-investigator on research proposals totaling more than $16 million. Those grants and proposals have resulted in 99 peer-reviewed publications, 183 abstracts, 13 proceedings papers and five patents.
Texas Tech has had tremendous recent success in the NARRU Award categories.
Courtney Meyers, an associate professor of agricultural communications within Tech's Department of Agricultural Education and Communications (2013); Ryan Rathmann, an associate professor within Tech's Department of Animal and Food Sciences (2014) ; and Erica Irlbeck, an associate professor of agricultural communications within Texas Tech's Department of Agricultural Education and Communications (2015) previously won the NARRU Young Educator Award, said Steven Fraze, Interim Dean of Tech's College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources.
According to program officials, the purpose of NARRU is to be a unifying force for all faculty, students, staff, and administrators of agriculture, food, and renewable resource programs at NARRU state-funded public colleges and universities. NARRU promotes excellence in science-based teaching with hands-on experience in conducting responsive, issue-based research and communicating findings to stakeholders and the general public.
Written by Norman Martin
CONTACT: Michael Orth, chairman, Department of Animal and Food Sciences, Texas Tech University at (806) 834-5653 or michael.orth@ttu.edu
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