Ashby B. Bodine

Clemson University students have chosen Ashby B. Bodine the Alumni Master Teacher for 2013. Bodine is professor emeritus/visiting professor in the department of animal and veterinary sciences in the College of Agriculture, Forestry and Life Sciences.

“I learned to teach from observing the techniques, methods and practices of the teachers who inspired me to learn and to think critically,” said Bodine. He passes this knowledge on to his students and his teaching career has been dedicated to inspiring them.

“Teaching the next generation in a manner which inspires them to become lifelong learners is the key to the future,” said Bodine. “One cannot fail to enrich his or her own life while teaching others.”

Bodine’s research has been on the biochemistry and immunology of archaic vertebrates, in particular, sharks, rays and skates. Since 2006, Team Tiburon, an interdisciplinary Creative Inquiry team mentored by Bodine, has been researching an anti-tumor protein from the bonnethead shark that has great potential for use in anti-cancer treatments, including melanoma and breast cancer. The team has presented their findings at several research conferences.

Bodine has received many honors and awards including the Godley-Snell Outstanding Agricultural Research Award, the Class of ’39 Faculty Award for Excellence, the Gamma Sigma Delta Outstanding Teacher Award, the National Scholars Program Award of Distinction and the Outstanding Teacher Award from the National Association for Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture.

The Alumni Master Teacher Award for outstanding undergraduate classroom instruction is presented to a faculty member nominated by the student body and selected by the Student Alumni Council.