Cindy Graham receives Killam Award for Leadership in Teaching

Cindy Graham, a senior instructor in the Department of Biological Sciences and the Associate Dean (Undergraduate) for the Faculty of Science, has received the Killam Award for Leadership in Teaching – marking the first time a member of the Faculty of Science recognized with this prestigious award.

“It is a tremendous honour to receive this award,” says Graham, who graduated from the University of Calgary with double majors in botany and ecology, and a PhD in plant hormone physiology.

“I am extremely fortunate to work with an amazing group of faculty and support staff and I hope this award will help to highlight the outstanding work that is being done in the Faculty of Science,” she adds.

Graham joined the Faculty of Science as an instructor in the Natural Sciences Program in 2004 after completing two post-doctoral fellowships, one at the University of Glasgow and a second at the Plant Biotechnology Institute of the National Research Council in Saskatoon.

Graham quickly distinguished herself in the classroom by fostering a teaching philosophy that ensures students gain the most from their academic experience. Her commitment to teaching was rewarded in 2011 with a Faculty of Science Teaching Excellence Award.

“I believe that university instructors should create a collaborative, student-centered learning environment in which teaching and learning are shared responsibilities between students and instructors,” says Graham, whose career highlights also include being nominated for the National Technology and Innovation Award in 2005, being named a Teaching and Learning Research Scholar with the American Society of Microbiology in 2010-2011 and being accepted as a National Academies Education Fellow in Life Sciences in 2012-2013.

“I am also an advocate for encouraging the development of scientific curiosity in students as an important part of teaching and I believe science education should focus less on memorization of individual facts and more on helping students create real understanding of a topic,” she says.

In addition to her teaching load, Graham assumed the function of assistant director for the Natural Science Program (and later as director for the same program) and recently added a new portfolio to her already-full plate by taking on the role of Associate Dean (Undergraduate).

“Cindy has rapidly established a solid reputation for the quality of her teaching,” says Faculty of Science Dean, Ken Barker.

"Her impact in leading and mentoring her colleagues to adopt a scholarly approach to science education has been profound in the Natural Sciences Program, in her department, and through interactions across the entire faculty,” says Barker. “Cindy Graham is a highly worthy recipient of the Killam Award for Leadership in Teaching and we are very proud of her.”

The selection criteria for the Killam award are demonstrated leadership in teaching including mentoring of faculty members, sharing expertise, serving on committees, giving talks and workshops on effective teaching; excellence in teaching; and commitment to improvement of university teaching and student learning.

The Killam Pre-Doctoral Scholarship and Prize Programs were established in memory of Izaak Walton Killam through the Will of his wife, Dorothy Johnston Killam, and through gifts made during her lifetime. The primary purpose is to support advanced education and research at five selected Canadian universities and the Canada Council for the Arts.

For her contributions, Graham received a prize of $5,000 and a commemorative certificate presented at the annual Killam Event on Oct. 18.