Samuel Lord, instructor in the School of Natural Resources, received CAFNR’s 2024 Outstanding Early Career Teacher award at the College’s annual Celebration of Excellence ceremony. He is also pursuing his doctorate in soil science.  

Lord is deeply invested in student success and prides himself on creating experiential learning opportunities in both his labs and classrooms. He creates a welcoming environment for students that extends outside of the classroom.  

Both formal and informal reviews of his teaching have been overwhelmingly positive; courses taught include Introduction to Soil Science and Ecology and Renewable Resource Management. He was also integral in implementing a classroom improvement grant from the Provost’s Office. 

“In his classroom, he offers a sincere desire to form a deep understanding in the minds of all his students and about what he is teaching,” said Kameron Ziercher, former student. “Sam’s lectures and labs are complex enough to keep curious minds in wonderment all while still allowing the material to be digestible, but not watered down to others.” 

“I can say that Mr. Lord has a work ethic that is without peer. He labors tirelessly and at a consistently high level of quality. His teaching evaluations attest to this fact, and his research bears the marks of strong science: novel questions and hypotheses, sound experimental design, and well-posed quantitative interrogation of his data,” said nominator Patrick Market, director of the School of Natural Resources.