Georgia Perimeter College professors Dr. Michael Nelson and Deborah Byrd have been named 2015 recipients of the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development (NISOD) award for teaching excellence.

Dr. Michael Nelson, Chemistry professor and interim science chair, Clarkston Campus

He is an avid movie buff—and especially loves horror films. He has worked as an actor for the Alliance Theatre and children’s productions for years. And he tutors students on all subjects for the Scholastic Aptitude Test.

Any combination of the above would be enough for one person—but not Dr. Michael Nelson. The Norcross resident also adds a passion for teaching chemistry to his list of avocations.

Nelson’s passion for teaching was recently recognized when he was selected as a 2015 NISOD award winner.

 “I have a very strong passion for obtaining general knowledge—I love explaining how things work,” Nelson says.  “I like to show students the theoretical and conceptual aspects of simple chemistry problems, and show their implications in the real world …. I love that I can show the connections that students might not necessarily get; how chemistry connects to biology and physics, and how math supports all of that.”

When students make those connections, “You can see those light bulbs popping on across the room,” he says. “It is one of my favorite moments in the classroom.”

For the past eight years, Nelson has brought his enthusiasm for teaching chemistry to the classroom and to the lab, finding those connections for his students. 

It was during the pursuit of graduate degree where Nelson learned he loved to teach, but he didn’t get in a classroom right away.

With a doctorate in analytical chemistry from Georgia Tech, Nelson worked for two years as a research scientist for a pharmaceutical company, then as a laboratory manager for six years. Both companies were based in Norcross.

It was while working at the Norcross lab, Nelson also taught part-time at GPC’s Dunwoody Campus. When he was offered a position as a full-time chemistry instructor at GPC’s former Lawrenceville Campus, he came on board, transferring to Clarkston the following year.

 That was eight years ago. Today he is an interim department chair for the Clarkston Science department, as well as teaching several chemistry classes and labs. “Eighty percent of the focus of GPC is to teach—I get to teach students about chemistry, and I love chemistry.”

Getting students to share that love and understanding of chemistry’s applications to real life can be a challenge, he says. To that end, Nelson makes sure all his students have his phone number; in fact, he requires them to text him first with questions before coming to his office. 

“It forces them to think about the questions they want to ask; a lot of times students struggle with formulating the right question; they doubt themselves or they struggle with English. I don’t want them to come to my office with a paper and ask can you show me how to do this—I want them to show me they have already made an effort—that they’ve been thinking about the problem before coming to me. “

Deborah Byrd, Assistant professor of English, Newton Campus

“I’d rather have a curious student than a brilliant student,” says GPC English instructor Deborah Byrd.  Sparking that curiosity by making literature come alive in the classroom is what makes this 2015 NISOD winner happy to teach students every day.

“I’ve taught Brit lit, World lit and American lit, and if I can make those authors come alive for them, that’s great.” From using old recordings of poets—she found an original recording by the poet Walt Whitman on the internet—to encouraging her students to do plays and projects in class, Byrd loves bringing a variety of teaching techniques to her students.

What she doesn’t like is making literature boring. “Students have to do an oral report, and their projects must be 15 to 20 minutes long, and it cannot be boring,” she says. “The other students have permission to wad up paper and throw at them if they are boring.”

Byrd laughs. “It keeps everyone on their toes.”

One student brought in her entire family to act in a scene from a play—and her children played the adult parts. “It was just wonderful and funny. I could have stood up and lectured, but this [play] was something the whole class is going to remember for a long time,” she says. She notes that no one has been hit by a paper wad—yet.

Byrd has been part of GPC since 2000, when she came to work at GPC’s Rockdale Center as a part-time English instructor. She became full time in 2008, helping to open the Newton Campus, which replaced the Rockdale facility. While she loves teaching, finding her own path as an English professor took some time, she says.

In the 1980s, Byrd and her husband had just built a home near Washington, D.C., when they both decided they wanted more out of their careers. Neither had finished their college education—Byrd had gone directly to work at a bank after high school but had taken a few classes at what was then DeKalb Community College and is now Georgia Perimeter; her husband had attended Georgia Tech but never completed his degree.

“We had just had a lovely home built for us. We sold it –quit our jobs—and went to school on the proceeds,” Byrd recalls.

The couple attended a small school in East Tennessee where Byrd got her bachelor degree in English. It was her English professor there who “changed my life,” she says. He encouraged her to step outside her comfort zone and apply to the University of Chicago for graduate school. “I was a curious person, and he felt that Chicago would challenge me; I applied and they let me in.”

Years later, she seeks that same curiosity in her students and encourages them to seek out challenges in their educational careers.

“In more than 15 years of service to Georgia Perimeter College, Mrs. Byrd has dedicated her career to helping students develop writing and critical thinking skills,” says Carissa Gray, GPC Newton Humanities department chairman. “She persistently finds innovative ways to engage students with diverse backgrounds, learning styles and ambitions. Her enthusiasm for teaching and her ability to inspire both students and colleagues reflect her dedication to the college’s mission. Mrs. Byrd certainly deserves this prestigious award.”

Byrd is currently the faculty editor to Creative License, the student run literary and arts magazine that is in its 22nd year.