M. Anne Naeth
M. Anne Naeth, Renewable Resources2005 Vargo Distinguished Teaching Chair
Anne Naeth, Professor of Applied Ecology and Land Reclamation in the University of Alberta's Department of Renewable Resources and chair of the environmental and conservation sciences degree program and associate dean (academic), was presented with the Vargo Teaching Award at the University's Celebration of Teaching and Learning, September 9, 2005. The Vargo Distinguished Teaching Chair honours University of Alberta professors who combine excellence and a passion for teaching with an established record of substantive research.
Naeth, who transferred to the University of Alberta in 1974 to complete her BSc in biology, financed her education by working as a telephone operator for AGT (now TELUS). She went on to meet the requirements for both the departments of Plant and Soil Science at the Master's level.
Naeth is known not only for her work in plant ecology, reclamation, revegetation, and remediation of disturbed ecosystems, but also for her instructional excellence and efforts in championing innovative teaching methods. Through a personal commitment to mentoring graduate teaching assistants and new professors, she actively promotes effective mentoring by developing new teaching resources and contributing to numerous committees and programs.
As a professor, Naeth is a favourite among students who speak highly of her compassion and enthusiasm for her subject. She is a recipient of a national 3M Fellowship for excellence in teaching in 1998 (Canada's highest undergraduate teaching award), the 1999 Rutherford Teaching Award, and the 2001-02 Killam Annual Professorship. In 2004, the Faculty of Agriculture, Forestry, and Home Economics named her Teacher of the Year.
Appointed to the Alberta Environmental Appeal Board in 1995, Naeth believes working within the broader environmental community allows her to use her research knowledge within a larger framework. She feels many in both government and industry are genuinely concerned about the environment and is quick to point out that 70 to 80 percent of her research is funded by industry.
In recognition of her exemplary commitment to building a sustainable future for Alberta's agriculture and food industry, she was inducted as a member of the Growing Alberta Green Team in 1999. In 2004, she was elected president of the Canadian Society of Soil Science (CSSS) — the first female to hold this post in the Society's 50-year history. Naeth is widely published and a highly sought-after advisor to industry and government.
In 2005, she was honoured with an Award of Excellence by the U of A Alumni Association, and in 2006, she was awarded Mentors of the Millennium from the Alberta Women's Science Network.