Mack Receives National Entomology Teaching Award

BLACKSBURG, Va., Jan. 16, 2002 -- Timothy P. Mack, professor of entomology and head of Virginia Tech's Department of Entomology, received the top teaching award for 2001 from the Entomological Society of America.

The society's Distinguished Achievement Award in Teaching was presented to Mack in December at the society's annual meeting in San Diego, Calif. Only one teaching award is presented by the 6,500-member society each year.

Mack teaches the largest on-line entomology course in the country from Virginia Tech. The undergraduate course, Insects in Human Society, is delivered via the World Wide Web to hundreds of students in North America.

Also considered in the award was the 13 years Mack taught traditional classroom courses at Auburn University before joining the faculty at Virginia Tech in 1994.

In addition to his academic duties, Mack is assistant dean for information technology for Virginia Tech's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

"In many ways this is a departmental accomplishment," Mack said. "Putting on a course like [Insects in Human Society] requires the help a number of people."