Joan Cunnick, professor in animal science, is the recipient of the 2023 Outstanding Achievement in Teaching Award from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Iowa State University. For 31 years, she has taught a variety of courses and laboratories in the Microbiology Undergraduate Program. She provides a critical teaching role within the program, specifically in upper-level, advanced-topic and specialization courses.
Cunnick continuously updates her teaching material so her course content is timely and relevant each semester. This may include an outbreak of measles in Minnesota or New York, or recent outbreaks of anthrax in the U.S. and around the world. She designs classwork to help students grow in their communication skills – from writing case study responses for a scientific audience, to brochures and information pages for a general lay audience. She also believes teaching is more than classes and labs offered at Iowa State. Teaching occurs with every student interaction. As the faculty advisor for the Microbiology Club since 1996, Cunnick encourages students to become leaders and share their enthusiasm for science with future scientists, including high school students.