Kirsten Davis, an associate professor of construction engineering, received the American Society for Engineering Education’s 2020 Outstanding Teaching Award. She is the third College of Engineering faculty member to earn this honor in the past five years.
This award is annually bestowed by the society’s Pacific Northwest section. It recognizes outstanding classroom performance among teachers of engineering and engineering technology students, and serves as an incentive to make further significant contributions to teaching. Awardees must make significant contributions to their profession and meet several criteria in the classroom.
Davis was nominated by Casey Cline, chair of the Department of Construction Management. In his nomination letter, Cline noted Davis’ dedication to her students. Construction education takes many forms, from traditional teaching activities, to exploring improved teaching methodologies, to mentoring faculty across campus and building a campus community.
Davis plays a major role in the lives of construction management students in the Boise State program. She teaches both lower and upper division courses, allowing students to have a consistent component in their college careers. She fosters the abilities of younger students to succeed by providing new subject content and by reinforcing older content already familiar to students.
Davis continues her relationships with students as they progress through the construction management program, providing a compassionate relationship between student and teacher, and fostering relationships that students come to value because “somebody cares.”