In April 2026, Dr. Jacob Wainman was awarded the Horace T. Morse Alumni Association Award for Outstanding Contributions to Undergraduate Education. This University of Minnesota system-level award recognizes a select group of faculty for their contributions to undergraduate education. Dr. Wainman's teaching was recognized for drawing from STEM Education Research, implementing student-centered and evidence-based pedagogies into his classrooms. Dr. Wainman varies his approach to the level of course and to students’ unique needs, including teaching fifteen different courses in two departments across many levels from first-year students to upper-level undergraduates and even graduate students. Dr. Wainman's classrooms are inclusive, rigorous, and engaging, and his students leave with professional mastery over chemistry concepts.
Highest among Dr. Wainman's noteworthy teaching accomplishments is his efforts to redesign General Chemistry Laboratory courses at UMD, impacting 150-250 students each semester. He developed inquiry-based activities and a Course-based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs) help students to realize that lab work is not only about following protocols but is instead a space where creativity and curiosity are valuable assets. In General Chemistry I Lab, Dr. Wainman uses a two-week structure where one week, students learn a lab technique. Then, students are given a real-world question, such as a sample that can be analyzed using the week one technique. Students then design experiments that apply the technique they just learned to answer the provided question - they then carry out this experiment in the second week. Building on these skills, General Chemistry II Lab students engage in the CURE. Students work in teams to come up with research questions that have never been addressed before. They then design and carry out experiments to answer their own questions, learning to troubleshoot and adjust as they go. Ultimately, they present their research progress to local scientists in a poster session.
In addition to these efforts in the lab, Dr. Wainman created “Chemical Bonding” seminars implemented in the General Chemistry lectures for Chemistry and Biochemistry majors. These seminars serve to onboard students to college learning, including academic advising, career exploration, and college study tips. Spring semester "Chemical Bonding" seminars introduced new Chemistry and Biochemistry majors to the subfields of chemistry, clarifying the differences between Organic and Inorganic Chemistry, highlighting career paths for the various subdisciplines, and providing direction for students interested in getting involved in undergraduate research.
Dr. Wainman was recognized for these accomplishments at an award ceremony in April 2026 on the Twin Cities campus. He was also inducted into the University of Minnesota Academy of Distinguished Teachers, and his name will be included on the UMN Scholars Walk, where UMN faculty award winners are recognized.