Colorado State University Professor Recognized for Mentoring Students

Matt Hickey, a professor in the Department of Health and Exercise Science, will receive the Association of Public Land-Grant Universities Undergraduate Research Mentor Award this weekend. The award is given by the APLU’s Board on Human Sciences.

Hickey will be presented with the award on Sunday, Nov. 13, at the APLU annual conference in San Francisco.

The Undergraduate Research Mentor Award recognizes a faculty member in human sciences for exceptional performance as a research mentor for undergraduate students. This award was developed to advance the purposes of the undergraduate research community in human sciences. The award is also intended to promote undergraduate student development and a national undergraduate research agenda, as well as prepare students for graduate education in the human sciences. Award recipients are recognized for their contribution in developing the next generation of scholars.

Hickey joined the faculty of the Department of Health and Exercise Science in 1997 and is well-known as an outstanding teacher. He has been recognized with the College of Applied Human Sciences Tenure-Track Faculty Teaching Excellence Award, the Alumni Association Best Teacher Award, the College of Applied Human Sciences Outstanding Teacher Award and the Board of Governors’ Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching Award.

Hickey teaches an undergraduate course, physiology of exercise, required for all students in the major of health and exercise science, and is known for stimulating student curiosity and pushing students in a positive way to learn to interpret and apply class material, not just memorize it. According to college officials, his students write amazing testaments to his remarkable teaching style, which involves engaging the students in their own learning process.

Hickey also teaches a graduate course in bioenergetics, a theory based course dealing with thermodynamics, enzyme kinetics, cell membrane function and other complex topics. He also led the development of a new Ph.D. program in human bioenergetics, the multidisciplinary study of how energy is transformed in cells, tissues and organisms, and one of only three such programs in the country.

Hickey serves on the steering committee for the Celebrate Undergraduate Research and Creativity Symposium, the annual research showcase for undergraduates at CSU. In addition, he is a member of the faculty advisory board for the Journal of Undergraduate Research and Scholarly Excellence and on the advisory committee for CSU’s Office of Undergraduate Research and Artistry. His own research addresses metabolic adaptations to changes in diet and physical activity, with special reference to Hispanic populations.

The Department of Health and Exercise Science is in the College of Applied Human Sciences.

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