Faculty members at Virginia’s Community Colleges have been in the news this week – most notably, with the announcement of  Ralph Eckerlin of NOVA as one of the top 12 faculty members in Virginia. Dr. Eckerlin, a long-time biology professor at the college, received the 2009 Outstanding Faculty Award sponsored by SCHEV and the Dominion Foundation.

Dr. Eckerlin, who has identified four new species of parasites, has co-authored the lab manual at NVCC’s Annandale Campus, and has co-led trips to the tropics for hands-on biology lessons, joined the NVCC faculty in 1971.  Even after 40 years, he says,

“I enjoy what I do and what I do mostly is teaching…..It is still a pleasure to get up in the morning and go to work. At the community college, we see the broadest spectrum of ages and abilities. The challenge for me is to try to reach all of them.”

Many of Eckerlin’s students have gone on to careers as physicians, nurses, scientists and teachers. A former student who is now a doctor wrote to Eckerlin:

“I wanted to thank you for your contagious interest and love for life, as well as your inspiration to be passionate and generous.”

Eckerlin holds a doctorate in parasitology.

Also in the news recently is Southside Virginia Community College’s Mike Stinson, who along with his brother, Timothy, has received international attention for studying the DNA in the animal skin used in medieval manuscripts. Dr. Timothy Stinson teaches English at North Carolina State University. Dr. Mike Stinson is a seminary graduate who received a doctorate in environmental biology from the University of Louisville and teaches biology at Southside’s Keysville Campus.

The Lynchburg News & Advance this weekend talked about the brothers and their work.  They have been cited in National Geographic, Scientific American, and in foreign language publications all over the globe.