NOMINATION COVER SHEET 2019 Virginia Outstanding Faculty Awards 1. NAME Full (Legal): Sterling Nesbitt Preferred First Name: Sterling 2. INSTITUTIONAL INFORMATION 3. PROFESSIONAL INFORMATION Institution: Virginia Tech Academic Discipline: Geosciences/Biology Rank/Position Title: Assistant Professor Specialization/Field: Vertebrate Year Rank/Title Attained: 2013 (December) Evolution/Paleontology Years at Institution: 5 Type of Terminal Degree: Geosciences Campus Email Address: [email protected] Year Awarded: 2009 Campus Phone: 540-231-6330 Awarding Institution: Columbia University Campus Mailing Address: 926 W. Campus Dr. (0420), Blacksburg, VA 24061 4. PERSONAL INFORMATION Campus Communications Contact: Name: Tracy Vosburgh E-mail: [email protected] Please check only one box: RESEARCH/DOCTORAL INSTITUTION NOMINEE: MASTERS/COMPREHENSIVE INSTITUTION NOMINEE:□ BACCALAUREATE INSTITUTION NOMINEE: □ TWO-YEAR INSTITUTION NOMINEE: □ RISING STAR NOMINEE: l:gj □ Table of Contents Cover Sheet ..........................................................................................................................................................1 Mission Statement ......................................................................................................................................... • .....2 Summary of Accomplishments ...........................................................................................................................3 Personal Statement. .............................................................................................................................................. 9 Abbreviated Curriculum Vitae ........................................................................................................................ 11 Letters of Support (Excerpted) ..........................................................................................................................13 Additional Documentation................................. ............................................................................................... 16 Signature (President or ChiefAcademic Officer) c_LL Printed� Name:� Dr. Cyril Clarke E-mail address: [email protected] Telephone: 540-231-6122 Mission Statement Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) is a public land-grant university serving the Commonwealth of Virginia, the nation, and the world community. The discovery and dissemination of new knowledge are central to its mission. Through its focus on teaching and learning, research and discovery, and outreach and engagement, the university creates, conveys, and applies knowledge to expand personal growth and opportunity, advance social and community development, foster economic competitiveness, and improve the quality of life. 2 Summary of Accomplishments Dr. Sterling Nesbitt embodies the Virginia Tech motto, Ut Prosim (That I May Serve), by seamlessly integrating ground-breaking research with teaching core discovery classes and conducting a nationally extensive outreach program. Dr. Nesbitt is an international leader in vertebrate evolution and has broadly transformed our understanding of the rise of reptiles, including dinosaurs, in the Triassic Period (~250-200 million years ago). With over 100 peer- reviewed publications spanning the world’s best and broadest journals and over 120 conference presentations, Dr. Nesbitt’s record of contributing to the scientific body of knowledge is extraordinary for an assistant professor and a scientist of his age (36). Moreover, Dr. Nesbitt’s research is recognized by professional organizations in his field (e.g., recipient of an early career award, the Donath Medal, for all geosciences), the National Science Foundation and other funding agencies (e.g., National Geographic Society, private foundations), and global media (e.g., The New York Times). His enthusiasm for science and the natural world is effectively integrated into an immersive, hands-on, minds-on, 8-credit course for all entering geoscience majors at Virginia Tech – a course that not only forms the base of the major but also serves as an incubator for student success and undergraduate research. Furthermore, Dr. Nesbitt extensively mentors undergraduate and graduate students resulting in many funding opportunities for students as well as student-led publications. His mentorship moves students from forming ideas to publication to outreach. All of these experiences are capped with frequent outreach events that engage the public across the nation. Teaching As a paleontologist, Dr. Nesbitt extends his work beyond the boundaries of geosciences to include biology and physics. This integration frames his teaching philosophy: everything is connected and all sciences are needed to answer questions. Dr. Nesbitt brings this perspective to his leadership role in creating broad, introductory courses populated by majors and non- majors (GEOS 1014: Earth and Life Through Time; GEOS 2024: Earth’s Dynamic Systems); small, specialty courses aimed at discussing the latest research in vertebrate evolution (GEOS 2984: Introduction to Paleobiology: Your Inner Fish); an upper-level undergraduate and graduate course (GEOS 4984: Vertebrate Evolution); and a discussion-based graduate course (GEOS 6304: Current Topics in Sedimentology and Paleobiology), which has included themes such as “mass extinctions during Earth history” and “scientific writing.” Dr. Nesbitt’s teaching approach provides immersive, educational experiences whether in the classroom or beyond. For example, he is the co-creator of a team-taught class for all beginning geoscience majors called Earth’s Dynamic Systems (8 credits, 20-26 students). The course combines the essential physical and life processes driving the evolution of the planet through lecture (4.5 hours per week), daily critical thinking activities, workshops (1.5 hours per week), hands-on, minds-on labs (two, three-hour labs per week), and fieldtrips throughout the semester. Dr. Nesbitt covers the “Life,” or paleontology, component of the course, whereas his co-teacher, Dr. Mark Caddick, covers the “Earth” element. Their interactions throughout the lectures and activities, though sometimes comical, accurately mirror the core concept of the course – the dependence of life on physical process and how life has, in turn, fundamentally changed the planet. In this course, the students sit in teams at round tables surrounded by white boards, participate in team problem-solving activities for approximately 20 minutes each meeting, handle objects from the Earth (e.g., rocks, fossils, everyday objects) that are integrated into the discussion of the day, read a paper from Nature during the first week of class, engage with research labs and instrumentation (e.g., paleo-preparation, microprobe), visit the inner- workings of the Virginia Museum of Natural History, and trace data from collection in the field to museums to peer-reviewed publications. 3 Beyond building a foundation for the geoscience major at Virginia Tech and providing a framework for how to think and problem solve like a geoscientist, this course aims to produce engaged, informed, and productive citizens who can critically think about their surroundings. Using a growth mindset, which emphasizes that intelligence can be gained, Dr. Nesbitt builds confidence in many of his students’ professional skills. For example, his students gain confidence in writing through a semester-long research paper with peer editing. They work on their scientific communication skills with oral presentations and by attending poster sessions at local conferences. They also gain experience working in diverse teams, and Dr. Nesbitt conducts “how to be a student” workshops, which focus on such topics as finding references, reflecting on study habits, and surveying progress. The measurable benefits of this immersive approach are clear: tight-knit cohorts of students who work well together, higher average test scores, an impressively high attendance record (~98% class attendance to date), increased interaction with other faculty members through independent research, a strong foundation for scientific communication through oral and written skills, and the absence of fear to ask questions, which is Dr. Nesbitt’s favorite. For his teaching style and support of students, Dr. Nesbitt was recognized with a “Favorite Faculty” award at Virginia Tech. Outside of the classroom, Dr. Nesbitt mentors high school students, undergraduates, and graduate students in a highly collaborative and diverse environment. To date, Dr. Nesbitt has mentored three high school students interested in paleontology and 34 undergraduate students. Ten of these students have been working with Dr. Nesbitt for more than two years at Virginia Tech. In addition, seven of the students have written first-authored abstracts and presented at scientific conferences, and two have published first-authored, peer-reviewed papers. Dozens of undergraduate students have participated in cleaning fossils in the Paleontology Preparation Lab (see the Service section). Dr. Nesbitt has taken seven undergraduates to the western United States to participate in field work, which has been supported by NSF and private foundations, and to gain hands-on experiences in national parks, such as Petrified Forest National Park, and other incredible landscapes. Dr. Nesbitt has recently introduced a structured mentoring program that helps undergraduate students personalize their research pathways and identify what they can accomplish