ISAT professor awarded for work with students

By Caleb Ayers

The American Society for Microbiology (ASM) recently presented the Carski Award to Integrated Science and Technology (ISAT) professor, Dr. Louise Temple. This award recognizes her excellence in teaching microbiology to undergraduates and her dedication to empowering students to make real achievements. Founded in 1899, and now boasting over 30,000 members globally, the ASM is both the oldest and largest life science organization in the world.

Throughout her teaching career, Temple has embodied the characteristics that the Carski Award promotes: giving students real opportunities to succeed. She provides her undergraduate students with “authentic research experiences” which often result in publishable work. For each of the last thirteen years, Temple has accompanied several of her students at the National ASM Conference, guiding them into the professional realm of microbiology. 

“Dr. Temple’s work introducing students to research has been transformative,” says Bob Kolvoord, Dean of the College of Integrated Science and Engineering (CISE). “These students, new to campus, get a chance to discover something no one has ever known before. This is tremendously empowering to students at the start of a major in science or technology,” he added.

“Winning the award is really gratifying,” she said. “I've been doing this work with a passion for a long time and loving (almost) every minute of it. To get an award for it is really icing on the cake, so to speak.”

The Carski Award is significant not only for Temple, but for CISE as well. “It validates both the work and career of Dr. Temple, but also makes the case that our faculty’s work is noteworthy and deserving of national recognition,” Dean Kolvoord said.