Dawn King, IBES’ Director of Undergraduate Studies and a Senior Lecturer in Environment and Society, received two University awards this spring for her exceptional efforts. First was the Howard R. Swearer Engaged Faculty Award for Teaching, which recognizes innovative pedagogy that produces high-impact learning experiences and collaborative partnerships.
King teaches multiple engaged learning courses at Brown, including ENVS 0110: “Humans, Nature, and the Environment: Addressing Environmental Change in the 21st Century” and ENVS 1555: “Urban Agriculture: The Importance of Localized Food Systems.” In ENVS 0110, she places her students in six engaged scholar labs, and each group works with a community partner on a semester-long project, tackling issues like environmental justice, energy efficiency, composting, and food systems. Local partners have included the African Alliance of Rhode Island, the George Wiley Center, and the RI Audubon Society.
Beyond engaging students in hands-on learning, King said, her primary responsibility is to maintain a strong relationship with IBES’ community partners. She stressed the difference between “giving” and “extracting” in these types of partnerships, adding that students are often surprised by the realities of working beyond the classroom.
“It’s all about giving and taking, and understanding and appreciating the nuances of the real world,” King said. “It’s not always going to be really exciting, but it doesn't mean that it’s not important.”
King’s teaching award nomination included a letter from Julius Kolawole, Director of the African Alliance of Rhode Island and King’s longtime community partner, who described her as “a gifted professor with such unique abilities of understanding the communities and student needs.” King also received a research grant as recognition for her achievements.
“Once a summer I like to go and visit local farms in New England,” she said. “That would be a fun way to use the grant — go and visit more folks involved with local food systems.”
King was happy to receive the recognition, noting that IBES is responsible for about 30% of students enrolled in courses with the Community-Based Learning and Research designation.
King was also awarded the Karen T. Romer Prize for advising and mentoring dozens of students during her time with IBES, including those with cross-disciplinary interests who hope to tie their primary major to their interest in the environment.
“It really speaks to how many students flocked to our department just to get advice and mentoring,” she said. “That’s the wonderful thing about teaching [about the] environment.”