Biren and Dobbins receive awards from University Senate

Faculty members Greg Biren (Health & Exercise Science) and Tabbetha Dobbins (Physics) received prestigious awards from the University Senate. Biren was awarded the Lindback Distinguished Teaching Award and Dobbins was honored with the Excellence in Diversity for Social Activism award.

Biren teaches students studying in every major within the Health & Exercise Science department. In his courses, students gain a thorough understanding of nutrition, health, performance, prevention and rehabilitation of injuries, and a keen knowledge of how the human body functions for the development of exercise. They also learn from a master teacher who is laser focused on knowing his students well, understanding how they learn best, and then pushing them to excel. “His sense of caring, dedication and passion to ensure an outstanding record of teaching and a sustained commitment to student learning are second to none,” a colleague says. An associate professor, Biren is the program coordinator of the Human Performance in Clinical Settings major. Each semester, he meets with more than 100 students to discuss everything from their learning in the course to their goals, to how he can improve his teaching. “Thanks to the legend known as ‘Biren,’ I have a heightened obsession with exercise physiology,” a student says. “He is the epitome of what a professor should be.”

In more ways than one, Dobbins is the driving force in ensuring that students from underrepresented and first generation populations are exposed to—and excel in—STEM fields. Associate professor and associate chair of the Department of Physics, Dobbins’ “dedication to diversity makes an impact on all groups of people, including high school students, incoming students, Rowan students and faculty, as well as her professional community at both the national and international level,” says a colleague. Dobbins has led Saturday programs for Camden high school students through both Rowan’s CHAMP and BREATH programs. Since 2011, she has worked with pre-freshmen STEM majors in Rowan’s ASCEND program. Dedicated to mentoring students in the field of physics, Dobbins has driven students to prominent conferences, such as the Conference for Undergraduate Women in Physics, Conference for Undergraduate Underrepresented Minorities in Physics, and National Society for Black Physicists Conference where they have presented their research. She is the inaugural faculty mentor and was advisor to the National Society of Black Engineers student organization at Rowan. Dobbins also is the inaugural faculty mentor for WINGS (Women Inspiring the Next Generation of Scientists) student organization.