Henrietta Resident Wins RIT Outstanding Teaching Award

G. Thomas Frederick, resident of 1281 Pinnacle Road in Henrietta, recently won an Eisenhart Award for Outstanding Teaching at Rochester Institute of Technology.

Frederick, a professor of biological sciences in the College of Science, has taught at RIT for 28 years and remains as enthusiastic about teaching as when he started.

"The students keep me passionate about teaching," he says. "Everything is new to them. If I’m teaching an 8 o’clock class, I’m pumped. I tell students, ‘This is my morning cup of coffee.’"

Frederick also loves his subject matter. "I enjoy learning about what I’m teaching," he says. "Immunology is a field that is moving so fast."

Winning the award was an emotional moment for Frederick. "Tears came to my eyes when I received the envelope," he says. "The Eisenhart award has so much meaning to me mainly because of what I know about the people who are already Eisenhart winners. To be considered as someone in the group that I’ve respected forever is incredible."

In addition to the Eisenhart Award, Frederick is a past recipient of an RIT Student Affairs Award for Promoting Learning Outside of the Classroom and an RIT Interactive Learning and Support grant for his proposal to support women and minority student participation in professional activities. He served as department chair of biological sciences from 1983 to 1998. Frederick is also a member of the Academic Senate and the Institute Council, and has served on numerous committees.