Dr. David M. Cairns (GEOG) has received the Association of Former Students College-Level Distinguished Achievement Award in Teaching for his outstanding abilities as a professor, a mentor and a researcher.

Cairns has been a member of the Texas A&M community for 14 years and has served in his current position as professor for the Department of Geography for two years. Prior to this position, he worked as both an assistant professor and an associate professor for the Department of Geography. Cairns has received Henry C. Cowles award from the Biogeography Specialty Group of the Association of American Geographers as well as the Student Led Award for Teaching Excellence from the Texas A&M System, and the Dean's Distinguished Achievement Award both from the College.

Cairns received his B.S. from the University of California, Berkeley, his M.S. from the University of Florida, and his Ph.D. from the University of Iowa. Throughout his career, he has written a number of peer-reviewed articles that have appeared in Journal of Ecology, Annals of the Association of American Geographers, and Environmental Research Letters.

In Cairns' letters of nomination, his former and current students wrote of his ability to challenge and truly be an inspiration for knowledge.

"Dr. Cairns believes in the importance of what he teaches, and consequently assigns challenging work that encourages students to grapple with ideas until they has mastered them," said geography professor and departmental undergraduate program director, Dr. Charles Lafon. "Dr. Cairns does not view students as passive recipients of knowledge. Rather, to be successful in his classes or as his graduate students, students must learn to create and apply knowledge."

Eliana Mijangos `2014
9/21/2012

Dr. David M. Cairns
Professor and Assistant Department Head
979.845.2783
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