Dr. Sarah Ash
North Carolina State University
Dr. Sarah Ash, Professor in the Department of Food, Bioprocessing, and Nutrition Sciences at North Carolina State University, has been at the university for 23 years. Her responsibilities include coordinating the undergraduate nutrition program of over 200 students, advising approximately 75 of them, and teaching over 1,000 students a year in a wide variety of classes, from introductory nutrition to US food history. She has also worked with graduate students in a range of areas, from those interested in basic science issues in nutrition to the use of flash animation design to promote local food consumption. She has also served as the mentor for numerous graduate students interested in pursuing careers in higher education.
In her classes, Dr. Ash helps her students view scientific study in a broad context. "The idea that a scientific field can be affected by the culture around it is new to many. However, it is important that they understand that relationship, especially those natural science majors who think the humanities and social sciences are not relevant to their education. I provide this context in all my courses... One of my favorite moments in teaching happens when a student says, " 'I never thought about it that way!'"
Dr. Ash has been a campus leader in developing courses and pedagogy for service-learning courses and other experiential learning. Her scholarly work examines critical reflection as a means to both enhance and document student learning outcomes in experiential learning settings. With a colleague, she developed the DEAL (Describe, Examine, Articulate Learning) Model for Critical Reflection with an associated student tutorial and instructor guide that is being used on campuses across the country as well as internationally and has formed the basis for scholarly publications, presentations, and consultations. Her broad interest in student engagement has led to several grant-funded projects involving undergraduates as participants, including sustainable pork production, school and community garden initiatives, and nutrition education programs for limited resource populations.
Dr. Ash is the recipient of numerous teaching awards, including the NC State College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Outstanding Advisor Award, the NC State Alumni Distinguished Undergraduate Professor Award, and the Southern Region US Department of Agriculture Food and Agriculture Sciences Excellence in Teaching Award She has provided leadership for many campus-wide teaching initiatives including development of the First Year Inquiry Program, which provides small enrollment seminar-style classes for freshmen that emphasize the development of critical thinking skills.
Dr. Ash received her BA in Biology, cum laude, from Harvard University in 1976, her MS in Nutrition from Tufts University in 1982, and her PhD in Nutrition from Tufts University in 1986. Her doctoral work focused on the relative effects of age and estrogen on vitamin D metabolism.