Evolution can be a thorny subject to teach, but IU Bloomington biology Professor Craig Nelson is no shrinking violet.

Far from being intimidated by the deep emotional reactions the concept can have on students, parents, and others, Nelson sees teaching evolution as an opportunity to show how teaching in general can be improved, especially teaching critical thinking.

For his contributions to improving undergraduate teaching, Nelson was named "U.S. Professor of the Year" among research universities by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching in 2000. He shares his insights about teaching with faculty at other universities through publications and conference presentations.

Since joining the IU faculty in 1966, Nelson has taught undergraduate and graduate courses in evolution and ecology, and several interdisciplinary courses, including part of a three-course, liberal-arts cluster called "Knowing, Knowledge, and Their Limits: Literature, Psychology, and Biology" and a graduate course on "Alternative Approaches to Teaching College Biology." He's been a consulting editor for College Teaching and conducted NSF-funded Evolution and the Nature of Science Institutes for high school biology teachers to help them foster critical-thinking skills in their students.

Nelson is well-loved by his students, many of whom remark on his passion, optimism, and irreverent nature, which may be best reflected in the way he frames his research questions. A few include "why should an orchid scare the heck out of its pollinators?" and "when is stealing a mate preferable to advertising for one?"