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Distinguished Professor John Eadie Wins 嘿嘿视频 Teaching Prize

Professor Donating $60,000 Prize to Establish Scholarship to Promote Diversity in Wildlife and Waterfowl Biology

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Profile of professor John Eadie outside at UD Davis
Professor John Eadie is the 36th recipient of the 嘿嘿视频 Teaching Prize, which is among the largest of its kind in the country. (Jael Mackendorf/嘿嘿视频)

It鈥檚 rare to leave a lecture, field survey or casual conversation with John Eadie without a smile or a chuckle. The University of California, Davis, professor is known for his sense of humor, enthusiasm and vast knowledge about ecology and wildlife conservation. It鈥檚 what students and colleagues admire most about him. 

is a distinguished professor with the Department of Wildlife, Fish and Conservation Biology and is this year鈥檚 winner of the , given annually to honor faculty who are both exceptional teachers and scholars.

Eadie accepted the award with the humility most people on campus have come to expect from him and insisted it was really a win for the department. 

鈥淚 really view this as a reflection of our department, not of any one individual,鈥 Eadie said. 鈥淥ur whole department is just fantastic. To me, this is a departmental award; that鈥檚 how I view it.鈥

Professor John Eadie kneels by wood duck box
嘿嘿视频 Distinguished Professor John Eadie kneels by a wood duck box. His research interests include the ecology, conservation and management of waterfowl and wetlands. (Jael Mackendorf/嘿嘿视频)

Eadie joined the department and 嘿嘿视频 in 1995, starting as an assistant professor and moving up through the years until being named distinguished professor in 2022. He currently serves as the Dennis G. Raveling Endowed Chair in waterfowl biology. He was department chair for five years before passing the baton in 2017 to Nann Fangue, who commends Eadie for being a motivating instructor, engaging mentor and dedicated advisor. 

鈥淗e explains things clearly and transparently, he models the behaviors we hope to see in all faculty, and he has an incredibly generous spirit,鈥 Fangue said.

Passionate and inspiring instructor

Eadie鈥檚 courses are a mixture of lecture, laboratory and field classes. By his own estimates, he鈥檚 taught more than 3,000 undergraduate students during his career at 嘿嘿视频. He also contributes to seminars in the Avian Sciences Graduate Group and Animal Behavior Graduate Group. College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Dean Helene Dillard credits Eadie for motivating students to engage in the content and explore their own interests and passions.

Professor with students outside near wetland area
Professor John Eadie and students share a laugh during an outdoor waterfowl conservation class in 2017. (嘿嘿视频)

鈥淧rofessor Eadie is a passionate educator, inspiring students at all educational levels and from diverse backgrounds,鈥 said Dean Dillard. 鈥淪tudents in his courses are guided to think critically about issues of conservation and wildlife management, and his contagious enthusiasm has positively changed the lives of many students.鈥

Year after year, student evaluations describe Eadie鈥檚 courses as informative and inspiring, with many highlighting his impressive ability to translate complex concepts into easy-to-understand material. One student wrote: 鈥淒r. Eadie is one of the greatest professors I have ever had the joy of taking class from. He is simultaneously funny, smart, caring and just an all-around incredible person that fosters a learning environment unparalleled to any other.鈥

World-renowned scholar

Eadie grew up on a farm in British Columbia, Canada, and says his rural outdoor adventures helped spark his interest in wildlife, especially waterfowl. He often shares with students a time when he was a kid that he spotted a pair of trumpeter swans on his family鈥檚 lake. He said seeing those birds, which were once on the endangered species list, was a moving experience.

Professor John Eadie holds duckling with students in background outside
A renowned waterfowl and conservation scholar, Eadie shares his love for wildlife, like this duckling, with his students and colleagues. (嘿嘿视频)

鈥淚 tell my students that taught me two things: You can鈥檛 ever replace something in the wild; when it鈥檚 gone, it鈥檚 gone. It was my first conservation lesson,鈥 he explained. 鈥淪econd, I often think about what if our lake wasn鈥檛 there? I learned the value of even these little wetlands and the importance of maintaining them.鈥

Eadie is a world-renowned scholar in behavioral ecology and wildlife management and conservation. His research interests include the ecology, conservation and management of waterfowl and wetlands. Eadie has helped come up with solutions for some of the most pressing challenges in wildlife conservation, including developing tools to aid conservation planning for wetland-dependent birds threatened by climate change, drought and urban development.

Eadie has been an invited member and leader of the North American Waterfowl Management Plan Continental Assessment Team, which has helped develop and draft the North American Waterfowl Management Plan that establishes objectives and goals for waterfowl conservation in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

Dedicated to diversity, equity and inclusion

Twenty years ago, Eadie launched the Wood Duck Internship Program at 嘿嘿视频, which he continues to manage. The program provides students with opportunities to participate in field research associated with understanding waterfowl behavior, reproduction and survival. Eadie said more than 500 students have participated in the program, which he considers one of his greatest achievements.

We really need to change the face of our profession. It is already changing, but we need to be able to encourage and support people coming in on the undergraduate level for them to see it as a career path for them. 鈥 John Eadie

This year鈥檚 award comes with a $60,000 prize, funded through philanthropic gifts managed by the 嘿嘿视频 Foundation. Eadie said he and his wife, Jane Eadie, are donating the prize money to establish a new scholarship to benefit underrepresented and nontraditional students in wildlife and waterfowl biology. He hopes it will support efforts to develop a diverse workforce able to meet future conservation challenges.

鈥淲e really need to change the face of our profession,鈥 Eadie said. 鈥淚t is already changing, but we need to be able to encourage and support people coming in on the undergraduate level for them to see it as a career path for them.鈥

A gala to honor Eadie will be held on Thursday, Feb. 2 ,at the Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts.

Eadie is the 36th recipient of the 嘿嘿视频 Teaching Prize, which is among the largest of its kind in the country. Check out previous winners on the .

Media Resources

Media Contacts:

  • John Eadie, Department of Wildlife, Fish and Conservation Biology, jmeadie@ucdavis.edu   
  • Kat Kerlin, 嘿嘿视频 News and Media Relations, 530-750-9195, kekerlin@ucdavis.edu 
  • Betsy Towner Levine, Development and Alumni Relations, etlevine@ucdavis.edu
  • Tiffany Dobbyn, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, tadobbyn@ucdavis.edu


 

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