CFAES Give Today
AEDE

Department of Agricultural, Environmental, and Development Economics

CFAES

Graduate Student Betsy Truex Named AEDE’s 2013 Bernie Erven Outstanding Graduate Teacher

May. 22, 2013

PhD student Betsy Truex was recently awarded the 2013 Bernie Erven Outstanding Graduate Teaching Award from the department. This award is given annually to a graduate student who best exemplifies the tradition of teaching excellence demonstrated by AEDE Emeritus Professor Bernie Erven. For many years Erven served the department as an exemplary teacher and a devoted mentor to graduate students. Truex was nominated for the award by AEDE’s faculty.

Truex, who is advised by Professor Brian Roe, served as the teaching assistant during the 2012-2013 academic year for the AEDE undergraduate courses “Econometric Applications in Agribusiness and Applied Economics” taught by Professor Stan Thompson and “Operations Research in Agribusiness and Applied Economics” taught by Professor Roe.  Her duties included teaching the lab components of these courses and offering office hours to students enrolled to assist them with the course content as needed.

Truex notes that her favorite part of teaching is seeing the spark when a student finally understands a concept. She also enjoys how teaching enables her to think about and engage with the course content in new ways.

She notes that in her own studies she has encountered several teachers who have taught her so much beyond the content of a textbook – a trait that she strives to bring to the classroom as an educator. In her teaching Truex hopes to give students practical, real world understanding of a topic, enabling them to apply the knowledge gained in the classroom to their work in the years ahead.

When asked about the best advice that she’s been given in regards to teaching Truex commented that it’s important to always be patient with students. Additionally, she tries at all times to remember that when finding an answer to a question, the thought process that a student engages in is often more important than the final solution. 

In nominating her one faculty member noted, “Betsy clearly has a heart for students and gift for teaching”. The teaching lessons that she’s acquired from her own experiences have truly paid off in the classroom making Truex AEDE’s best graduate educator in 2013.

May 22, 2013