Dr. Chris Whipps
Dr. Chris Whipps, professor in ESF’s Department of Environmental Biology (EB) and director of the SUNY Center for Applied Microbiology, was doubly honored this spring. He was named the College’s Exemplary Researcher for 2021-22, and received the 2021 ESF College Foundation Award for Exceptional Achievement in Teaching.
The Exemplary Researcher Award is a college-level award recognizing successful, currently active researchers with exemplary research activity, publication record, and a graduate/undergraduate student mentorship program.
Whipps focuses his work on fish and wildlife diseases. He is respected in his field of parasitology and fish health, reviewing more than 10 manuscripts a year and serving as associate editor of the “Journal of Parasitology” and section editor of “Parasitology Research.” Whipps has also mentored multiple junior colleagues, helping them establish their programs and succeed in their endeavors.
He is currently PI or co-PI on grants totaling $2.1 million and has been personally credited with more than $2 million in expenditures since he joined the ESF faculty in January 2008. His work has been supported by grants from the NIH, NSF, USDA and NY DEC. He has over 110 publications, with an h-index of 35 and a i10-index of 63.
In his biodiversity work, Whipps has named over 28 species of parasites and bacteria. Other researchers have named 3 species after him (Kudoa whippsi, Ceratomyxa whippsi, and Unicauda whippsi). His work on controlling diseases in fishes used in research is widely recognized and he has been invited to speak on his work internationally.
“Chris has one of the highest teaching loads in EB and his parasitology course is always maxed out with a waiting list as it receives some of the highest reviews of any class in the department,” said Dr. Melissa Fierke, EB chair. “His contributions to his field and EB/ESF are tremendous,”
In being honored with the ESF College Foundation Award for Exceptional Achievement in Teaching, it was noted Whipps is a dedicated teacher who teaches one of the largest courses on campus. He incorporates active learning components into his large General Biology lecture course.
His teaching style makes science come alive for his students, through case studies, technology, and class presentations designed to grab their attention and hold it as they learn general biology, parasitology and life lessons.
“I have had ongoing conversations with Dr. Whipps the past 14 years about many topics, but especially teaching excellence, how to encourage other faculty towards this goal, and how to evaluate teaching excellence,” said Fierke. During the pandemic, Whipps put in “an incredible amount of time and effort into rethinking and bringing both of his courses to where they needed to be,” said Fierke. Whipps has advised 10 masters and 3 Ph.D. students and has mentored more than 37 ESF undergraduates in his lab. His service to his department and the College is highly valued as he has served as chair of the Animal Care and Use Committee and as director of the SUNY Center for Microbiology for more than 10 years.
The Foundation Award was established in 1999 to celebrate the accomplishments of ESF faculty members who have achieved excellence in their teaching responsibilities.