"When that award came in, it was validating, and it showed that other people feel like I've had impact," said Philip Dixon.
He teaches undergraduate and graduate level courses, while also developing new statistical methods and consulting on student and faculty research projects across campus. He has served on more than 300 graduate student committees.
"What makes teaching fun, challenging and ultimately useful is to have a solid grasp of the technical details, but explain them in a way that makes them relevant to the audience. To come up with good examples and think through how they illustrate the points that you really want the students to get out of those details, takes time and preparation."
Dixon said laying a solid foundation from the start makes his job easier in the long run.
"The teaching and the consulting sides of my job interact, and I would rather teach 70 students well than individually consult with half of that number. It's more efficient."
Dixon also supports a small team of graduate students who offer statistics consultation for ISU students, faculty and staff outside the department, a service that's unique among universities.
"Sometimes I'll get calls from former students who have taken academic positions at other universities, and they're surprised this service doesn't exist at their institution. So they'll ask, 'Hey, can you help with this?'"
For Dixon, the teaching never stops.
