THIS ACKNOWLEDGES
Douglas N. Yarger, Iowa State University
 |
For gentle but persuasive and effective leadership integrating new technologies with revolutionary educational techniques into the classrooms at Iowa State as well as the broader Unidata community. |
The Russell DeSouza award honors "individuals
whose energy, expertise, and active involvement enable the Unidata Program to
better serve the geosciences." It would be hard to imagine a better fit
for the honor than Doug Yarger. Through his involvement in geosciences education
and in Unidata governance and Users Workshops, Doug's association with Unidata
spans more than a decade; but it was in the forum of the Unidata Users Committee
that his voice emerged with clarity and strength. Doug spoke convincingly of
the need for the effective teaching of geoscience principles, and through his
many efforts clearly articulated the role of technology in every day instruction
and learning.
Showing teachers new ways of encouraging students to learn is his passion. He is a strong advocate of participatory learning, that is, learning in which students become actively engaged in teaching themselves through exploration, experimentation, and research. He believes that current technology allows educational institutions to create active learning environments in ways that formerly were impossible.
In 2000 he co-chaired the Unidata Users Workshop
entitled "Unidata Users as Leaders," and he spearheaded the effort
to bring together a first-rate (and first-rank) roster of speakers. His own
contribution to the workshop demonstrated an innovative data-visualization technique
that actually brings students into storms by using 3-D glasses.