Adam Yokom, assistant professor of Biochemistry, received the CAFNR Golden Apple Award Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2025, in a surprise ceremony led by Bryan Garton, senior associate dean and director of academic programs; Michael Chapman, director of the Division of Biochemistry; and many colleagues. Students were working on a hands-on project in his classroom at the time of the surprise, building proteins with beads and pipe cleaner.
“We’re here to recognize someone who’s made a real and lasting impact – not just on our college, but on your education,” Garton said to the crowd at the ceremony. “This isn’t just any award. It’s given to professors who go above and beyond in their teaching. A former student told us that walking into Dr. Yokom’s class felt like stepping into a ‘lab of ideas.'”
To be eligible for the Golden Apple Award, professors must exhibit clarity, variability and enthusiasm in their instruction. Faculty must be accessible to students, helpful, personable and act as a mentor. They should provide multiple opportunities to learn and clearly establish objectives and expectations.
In his nomination, Chapman cited Yokom’s excellence in these critical areas of teaching: clarity, variability, enthusiasm, task-oriented and businesslike, and opportunities for learning. Peer evaluators noted his great rapport with students, ability to make course topics relevant and set clear expectations, facilitation of robust discussion, and enthusiasm for the material, which fosters student engagement.
“Across meetings he blends brief concept framing, individual writing, small‑group analysis and whole‑class synthesis. Topic‑selection games and short riddle prompts engage the classroom while rotate‑and‑report formats encourage broad participation,” Chapman said. “Courses are designed backward from well‑defined outcomes, with strong alignment between objectives, instruction and assessment. Students across course levels report opportunities to solve problems, think creatively and apply ideas to real contexts; comments emphasize helpful feedback, structured support and inclusive facilitation that treats cultural and personal differences as assets.”
Yokom joined the Mizzou faculty in 2022, and has since taught both undergraduate and graduate students. His course load has included “Molecules of Life,” a non-majors course that builds scientific literacy; and Biochemistry’s capstone course, discussion-based “Post Normal Biochemistry.” He has also contributed lectures to two graduate Biochemistry courses and launched the Biophysics First-Year Learning and Research Experience (BioFLARE), a campus-supported initiative that places first-year students in biophysics labs across multiple departments to jump-start research training and career exploration.
“Taken together, the peer observation and multi‑semester student evaluations establish a teacher who is organized, innovative, enthusiastic and unwaveringly student‑centered,” Chapman said. “Dr. Yokom’s classrooms are challenging yet inclusive; they cultivate scientific reasoning and ethical communication while welcoming diverse perspectives. For clarity, variety, enthusiasm, professional focus and authentic opportunities for learning, Dr. Yokom exemplifies the Golden Apple criteria in teaching.”
