Lissa Tsutsumi honored for excellence in undergraduate education
Since 2019, Assistant Professor Tsutsumi has served as the equine program coordinator with the UH Hilo College of Agriculture, Forestry, and Natural Resource Management.
Lissa Tsutsumi, an assistant professor of applied agricultural science and biotechnology at the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo, is a recipient of the UH systemwide Frances Davis Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching.
The award is a memorial to the late Frances Davis who taught mathematics at Leeward Community College and UH Mānoa for 19 years. The award recognizes recipients for their dedication to teaching, for their demonstrated excellence as teachers, and for their attention to undergraduate students.
Since 2019, Tsutsumi has served as the equine program coordinator with the College of Agriculture, Forestry, and Natural Resource Management. She is responsible for the care protocols for the animals at the UH Agricultural Farm Laboratory, and serves as the advisor for animal science students and for the Hawaiʻi Island Pre-Vet Club.
Her teaching highlights include developing five animal science courses and an equine certificate, and developing an equine program, which consists of seven horses that are used for riding lessons and course demonstrations and activities.
“I treat my students as adults and future professionals and community members,” says Tsutsumi. “My task is to enable my students to have the necessary skills and knowledge so that they can make informed decisions and take the necessary action to succeed in real life situations.”
Tsutsumi received her bachelor of arts in kinesiology and exercise sciences and her doctor of philosophy in pharmaceutical sciences from the Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy, both degrees from UH Hilo.
Other recipients of the 2021 Frances Davis Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching are faculty and a student from throughout the UH System: Laurie James, Tiffany Kawaguchi, Heewon Kwon, Curia Namba, and A. Zachary Trimble.
