Known by his students as “Dr. J,” associate professor in the department of evolution, ecology and organismal biology at the Lima campus of Ohio State, J. Eric Juterbock is often recognized for his efforts to incorporate hands-on learning and observational studies into his classroom.

Juterbock is a three-time recipient of OSU Lima’s teaching award and was one of 10 faculty members honored for superior teaching with the Alumni Award for Distinguished Teaching in May.

Nominees were chosen by students and colleagues and the winners were selected by a group of alumni, students and faculty.

Recipients of the award receive $3,000 cash, a $1,200 increase in their base salary and are inducted into the Academy of Teaching, which provides leadership for improving teaching at Ohio State.

“Winning this award in particular was a big surprise and a great honor,” Juterbock said.

Juterbock grew up on a farm near Cincinnati and received his undergraduate degree in biological sciences from Cornell University. He earned both his master’s and doctorate degrees in zoology from OSU. This year marks his 23rd year teaching biology at the Lima campus.

His main interest lies in the evolution of amphibian life histories with a focus on conservation methods – specifically of the salamander.

“There is so much trouble with loss of habitat, especially in the case of the salamanders in southern Ohio,” Juterbock said. “Unfortunately, there isn’t much we can do about it until we recognize animals are an important part of our ecosystems.”

Throughout much of the 1980s, Juterbock participated in field studies focusing on conservation of the salamander population in Cincinnati and Portsmouth, Ohio. He involved students from his biology classes in these studies to introduce them to research techniques used to monitor the salamander population in these areas.

“Cincinnati is a huge metropolitan area and, practically speaking, the habitat of the salamander will inevitably suffer human alterations,” Juterbock said. “For example, the salamanders are dependent on the city’s water supply for survival. Therefore, when the water is tainted they cannot survive.”

Michael Cunningham, associate dean of the Lima campus, has known Juterbock for 18 years and attended graduate school with him at OSU. He is appreciative of Juterbock’s knowledge as a scientist and his caring efforts as a professor.

“He is a consummate biologist,” Cunningham said. “He knows theory and is also a great naturalist in the field, a rare combination to find.”

During the 1998-1999 academic year, Juterbock took a leave from teaching to participate in a field study in the Everglades of southern Florida. Upon returning, he decided he wanted to share this experience with his students and initiated a bi-annual 10-day camping trip to the Everglades during spring break for honors biology students.

“We don’t have enough time in 10 days to actually do a lot of field work, so the trip is meant to be educational, based mostly on observational studies,” Juterbock said. “We are able to observe ecosystems from the Smoky Mountains all the way down to south Florida.”

Juterbock said he was fortunate as an undergraduate to be able to perform some types of field work and he wanted to incorporate as much of this as he could into his students’ learning experience.

Tanja Nihiser, a former student of Juterbock’s who attended two field trips to the Everglades, said his classes made her re-evaluate what she wanted to do in her life.

“He is the most patient and caring teacher I’ve ever met,” Nihiser said. “I was considering the field of psychology for my graduate degree, but he just opened up new worlds to me, and now I might change tracks.”

Nihiser said taking field trips is typical of Juterbock’s style of teaching students outside of the textbooks. She also said he is always accessible and devoted to his students.

“I remember one trip to the Everglades where about 20 of us were interested in this one particular plant and he probably had to explain what he said about it 20 different times, but each time he was patient and enthusiastic,” Nihiser said. “I could not be happier that he won the award. He is very deserving of it.”

Juterbock, along with other award-winning faculty members will be honored at Saturday’s OSU-Minnesota football game.