David Baker, Austin College professor of physics, is one of 10 Minnie Stevens Piper Professors announced this spring in recognition of superior teaching. The award recognizes Texas college and university educators for dedication to the teaching profession and their outstanding academic, scientific, and scholarly achievement.
Austin College’s nomination of Baker for the Piper Professorship said that Baker “exemplifies all that we strive to find in faculty. He is committed to student engagement; developing and implementing pedagogies that enhance student learning; mentoring his faculty colleagues; and infusing enthusiasm for learning in the college community.”
Regarding Baker’s classroom teaching, the nomination read, “David has brought student-centered project-based and inquiry-based learning to the Austin College curriculum, and he willingly shares it with others who are interested in transforming their curriculum. … David strives to create the best learning environment for all students and to spark lifelong learning and meaningful service. His teaching style is exceptional, innovative, dynamic, and personalized.”
Pleased and humbled by the Piper award, Baker said he wants to help his students become the best they can be. “I want to help people follow their passions, to see the wonders of the world no matter how big or how small, to take risks, to embrace their failures, to love learning, to imagine things they never thought possible, and to solve problems they could never foresee.”
Learning must be personal and meaningful to make a difference, Baker said. “My goal is to create awesome learning experiences for all students,” he said. “As a first-generation college student myself, I understand that each individual brings a different set of experiences—we all learn in different ways and get our intellectual sparks at different moments. The learning environment must be flexible, challenging, and empowering. Since curiosity drives so much of our learning, the process must be filled with awe.”
“Awesome is a pretty high bar,” Baker admits. “But our universe is such a fascinating place, with so many cool things to discover, it would be an injustice to settle for an ordinary education. An extraordinary learning experience has a much better chance of transforming students’ lives, no matter where they come from or where they are going. This is why I teach.”
Baker, who joined the Austin College faculty in 2000, serves as chair of the Department of Physics and is director of the College’s Adams Observatory, which houses one of the largest research-grade telescopes in north Texas.
He obtained his bachelor’s degree in mathematics from The University of Texas at Austin and his master’s degree and Ph.D. from UCLA in geophysics and space physics. Baker later worked as a research scientist at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center investigating extreme precipitation events on Earth.
A recipient of multiple teaching awards, Baker incorporates project-based learning, authentic inquiry, and the “wow factor” in his courses. He routinely leads adventure-oriented science courses to remote places around the world, including Patagonia, the Galapagos Islands, and Iceland. Baker was recently named a “Global Hero in Education” by Microsoft’s Partners in Learning and one of the “Most Creative Teachers in the South” by Oxford American magazine.
Baker’s award-winning book The 50 Most Extreme Places in Our Solar System has been published in English, German, Korean, and Japanese. Baker gives numerous “extreme” presentations and book signings, from local elementary schools to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington D.C. He also has appeared on public radio KERA’s “Think” program and The Discovery Channel’s “The Year the Earth Went Wild.”
Baker joins a distinguished list of Austin College professors who have earned Piper Professorships dating back to 1959, only the second year of the Piper Professor Awards. Living Austin College faculty members honored by the foundation include Clyde Hall, professor emeritus of economics; Ken Street, professor emeritus of government, Shelton Williams, professor emeritus of political science, Jerry Lincecum, professor emeritus of English; Light Cummins, professor of history; and Bart Dredge, professor of sociology.
Austin College, a private national liberal arts college located north of Dallas in Sherman, Texas, has earned a reputation for excellence in academic preparation, international study, pre-professional foundations, leadership development, committed faculty, and hands-on, adventurous learning opportunities. One of 40 schools profiled in Loren Pope’s influential book Colleges That Change Lives, Austin College boasts a welcoming community that embraces diversity and individuality, with more than 36 percent of students representing ethnic minorities. A residential student body of 1,250 students and a faculty of more than 100 allow a 12:1 student-faculty ratio and personalized attention. The College is related by covenant to the Presbyterian Church (USA) and cultivates an inclusive atmosphere that supports students’ faith journeys regardless of religious tradition. Founded in 1849, the College is the oldest institution of higher education in Texas operating under original name and charter.