Kirby Hayes, Bernie Tao and Kim Wilson specialize in very different areas but have three things in common: teaching, community service and being honored as one of the best teachers at Purdue.

Hayes	Tao	Wilson

It’s difficult to say whether being outstanding teachers led to their community service or whether community service made them better faculty members. Either way, the Purdue Agriculture professors are three of five recipients of the 2005 Charles B. Murphy Award presented at Purdue’s Honors Convocation in April.

The award, presented annually since 1967 to Purdue’s top teachers, is the university’s highest undergraduate teaching honor.

Hayes, an associate professor of food science, earned his master’s degree in 1998 and doctorate in 2002, both in food chemistry and both at Purdue. His Introduction to Food Processing class worked with the Indiana Dairy Board last year to optimize the ice cream formula for the Indiana State Fair dairy bar.

Hayes also involves his students at the international level. He established a research collaboration with University College of Cork, Ireland, and led a student tour in Ireland focusing on agriculture and dairy food companies.

In addition to the Murphy Award, he received the 2006 College of Agriculture David C. Pfendler Outstanding Undergraduate Counselor Award.

Tao, a professor of agricultural and biological engineering, joined the Purdue faculty in the fall of 1988. He is the Indiana Soybean Board Professor in Soybean Utilization and teaches undergraduate and graduate courses.

Tao places a high value on entrepreneurial experiences for students by hosting an annual program for undergraduate teams to develop new products from soybean proteins and oils, which has resulted in three commercialized products and more than $60,000 in cash awards to the students.

Students statewide in grades K–12 also benefit from Tao’s expertise because of a hands-on science kit he developed. The kits are used in more than 95 percent of elementary schools in Indiana.

Tao’s teaching philosophy is simple: “I teach students the why, not just the how.”

Wilson, an associate professor of horticulture and landscape architecture and director for the Center for Community and Environmental Design, has been a Purdue faculty member since 1999. A strong advocate of service learning, Wilson teaches a course that takes students outside the classroom and into industry.

Wilson’s classes have created a design to convert Meigs Field, a former Chicago airport, into a visionary 21st century park; helped development along the Wabash River in the heart of Lafayette/West Lafayette; and are examining reuse plans for Lafayette’s two hospital buildings, which are being replaced.

Wilson’s professional experience of 25 years as a landscape architect brings expertise to the classroom. “Students want to see the connection between theory and practice, and involvement with these projects provides that opportunity,” she says.

Wilson shares her experience not only with Purdue students, but also with the local community.

In addition to the Murphy Award, Wilson also received the College of Agriculture’s 2006 Richard L. Kohls Outstanding Undergraduate Teacher Award.