Dr. Kevin Moorhead (left) talks with students

One of UNC Asheville's most respected professors, Kevin Moorhead, was named today as a recipient of the Award for Excellence in Teaching from the University of North Carolina's Board of Governors. Moorhead, professor and chair of environmental studies, was nominated by a committee of UNC Asheville faculty. He will receive a commemorative bronze medallion and a $7,500 cash prize at a ceremony at UNC Chapel Hill next month.

Moorhead holds a doctorate in soil science, the study of the earth's surface including soil formation; classification and mapping; and the physical, chemical and biological properties of soil. He composes custom exercises for his soil courses, including innovative laboratory experiments and field trips. He roams the campus and the state with a soil auger to collect soil samples for students to examine in the classroom.

Moorhead's love for his subject matter and devotion to inspirational teaching is well known among students. In fact, senior environmental studies major Matthew Hutchins credits a wetland ecology course with Moorhead as one of the main reasons why he plans to attend graduate school in conservation ecology.

"Dr. Moorhead often took the class beyond the confines of the textbook material," Hutchins said. "He felt that real field experiences were the only way to fully understand the subject. It was through this philosophy and encouragement that led me, and I know others as well, to obtain interests which I will carry on as a product of my liberal arts education. His excitement and passion were certainly contagious to me and the other students."

Senior environmental studies major Jena Race is equally enthusiastic.

"Dr. Moorhead is a fair, available and intellectually stimulating professor," she said. "He shows concern for his students and follows through with the things he proposes. He is awesome."

Moorhead teaches a number of environmental studies courses but in each he takes his subject matter beyond the traditional classroom model. He uses outdoor discussions, field trips, lab experiments and camping trips.

"I take risks in the classroom by using new techniques and approaches for teaching and improving student participation. But my overall goal for undergraduate education is simple: motivate students to learn," Moorhead said. "I want them to learn material for specific courses, but I also try to motivate students to be active learners for the rest of their lives. My efforts in the classroom, laboratory and field are focused on ways to inspire motivation."

That motivation to inspire students to become active learners has led Moorhead to work closely with more than 25 students on undergraduate research. Several of these young environmental scientists have presented papers at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research and have published manuscripts in the proceedings of the national conference or the UNC Asheville Journal of Undergraduate Research.

A number of these projects have involved students in Moorhead's assessment and restoration of the Tulula Wetlands Mitigation Bank, a 250-acre tract of land in Graham County. More than 15 years ago the site was scrapped as a failed golf course development. Since then, the area has become one of the longest-running wetlands restorations in the country. The research has involved numerous faculty, more than 70 students and $1 million in grant funding.

"My research is directly linked to the courses I teach," said Moorhead. "The Tulula project is used as a case study in my environmental restoration course, as a field site for my soils and wetland ecology classes, and as digital database for GIS courses. My teaching improves through research and it provides real world examples of scientific inquiry."

Moorhead joined the UNC Asheville faculty in 1992. He teaches a host of environmental studies courses, including environmental restoration, soil science, wetland ecology and environmental planning. He also leads a senior course on environmental internships and has taught honors courses on technology and the environment and southern wetlands. Moorhead received the 2003 UNC Asheville Distinguished Teacher of the Year Award and the 2004 Ruth and Leon Feldman Professorship for outstanding scholarship and university service.