Editor’s note: this article is part of a series of profiles of faculty and staff nominated by readers as deserving recognition for outstanding work.

Deland Myers, an associate professor of food science and human nutrition, uses his research and the world in his classroom.

Myers will be presented with the James Huntington Ellis Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Introductory Teaching by the university on April 30 for teaching Food Science and Human Nutrition 101.

“Quite frankly, I’m embarrassed,” Myers said of the award. He said he views himself simply as “a representative of teachers of introductory courses,” and not particularly outstanding.

“He went out of his way to help me,” said Chris Brunt, a sophomore in sociology who took Myers’ 101 class. “He made the class interesting.”

Brunt said Myers’ class was not a coasting class and he had to work and study hard, but Myers helped in the studying part.

“He felt everybody should get a C or higher. If you had a C-minus or lower, talk to him, attend study sessions,” Brunt said.

Larry Johnson, professor in charge of the Center for Crops Utilization Research and a colleague of Myers, said departments usually choose some of their best instructors for the 100-level classes to attract people to the program and keep them in.

“The department cautiously chose Dr. Myers for his great teaching skills,” Johnson said.

He said Myers is able to bring world applications into the classroom.

“He’s got industry experience and he is able to bring it into the classroom,” Johnson said.

Myers said he enjoys teaching the introductory course because “it forces me to really teach.”

The class is taken by non-technical, non-food science students as well as food science majors, forcing him to explain concepts in a way that gets ideas across to people who have no background in that area, he explained.

Not only is Myers excellent in the classroom, Johnson said, he is also a leader in his field and a wonderful speaker.

“He has got great skills as a public speaker that wow people in the audience. He is a great communicator with the general public,” Johnson said. “I would expect him to do equally well in the classroom.”

Johnson said Myers is “the national leader when it comes to the use of soybean meal as an adhesive.”

Johnson said this soybean adhesive is useful in making plywood and other building materials stick together without chemicals.

“The soybean meal does not pose health concerns,” Johnson said. Usually people with chemical sensitivities have problems with the normal adhesive, but Johnson said the research and development Myers is doing is leading the way in the new form of adhesive.

Johnson said currently the adhesive is being used in high quality velours.

He said also the adhesive is good in that when used on wood, heat doesn’t have to be applied to make it stick like the adhesive that is used currently, and the wood doesn’t have to be completely dry.

Due to his research, public speaking and classroom excellence, Johnson said, Myers is chosen to be on many different committees at many different levels.