Excellence in Instruction - Christopher S. Walsh

Dr. Christopher S. Walsh has been a faculty member at the University of Maryland for over 20 years beginning in the Department of Horticulture, now the Department of Natural Resources and Landscape Architecture. During this time he has proven himself to be an outstanding teacher, advisor, mentor, administrator, researcher and expert to the fruit industry within Maryland, the mid-Atlantic region, and internationally.

As a teacher, Dr. Walsh makes courses relevant to students in the urban/suburban environment of the University of Maryland. In introductory courses as well as upper level courses, he consistently receives high marks from students. Comments from students include: "Thank you Dr. Walsh for making Horticulture 100 enjoyable...your pace and lucid lectures...provokes the sort of respect for the sciences that I would think science professors are aiming for with non-science majors, such as me." Natural Resource Sciences majors also credit Dr. Walsh's patience, persistence, and excellent teaching as being an influence on their professional successes. As an academic advisor for students in Landscape Management, Dr. Walsh also gets high marks for his willingness to take time with each student and not give up on those seemingly not at the top of the academic ladder. Courses taught include: Introduction to Horticulture, Principles of Landscape Establishment and Maintenance, and a new course: HORT489, Sustainable Tropical Agro-Ecosystems in Costa Rica. This course was an ideal fit as Dr. Walsh is fluent in Spanish and has a strong interest in international agriculture. The course is offered each Winter Term and students find it to be educational, and enlightening beyond initial expectations.

Dr. Walsh has served on the Programs, Courses, and Curricular Committee (PCC) for the department and college, and completed a three-year term on the Provost's Academic Planning and Advisory Committee (APAC) that conducted a campus-wide review of academic programs resulting in the campus' first Strategic Plan. He was instrumental in authoring the merger document combining the former Horticulture and Agronomy curricula into a single natural Resource Sciences major. He was also heavily involved in developing the Urban Forestry Area of concentration that was approved in May 2000 and appears in the 2001 Undergraduate Catalog.

Dr. Walsh's field research projects are conducted in close coordination with the fruit industry, including apple, peach, and Asian pear growers. His field research on the long-term performance of tree crops has focused on the role of rootstock in efficiency and survival of peach trees, the use of micro-propagation and genetic dwarfing in managing apples, the potential for producing Asian pears in Maryland, and transplant shock that occurs following transplanting. He frequently visits with growers and orchards in the mid-Atlantic region as needed and has presented symposiums around the world. In 1998 Dr. Walsh received a Fulbright Fellowship at the University of Comahue in the Rio Negro area of Argentina to teach and conduct research on improving fruit production. Recently, he has started working with the Joint Institute for Food Safety and Nutrition (JIFSAN) as training coordinator for international programs for food quality and safety.

Dr. Walsh's special ability to work smoothly with parents, students, faculty and staff, as well as growers and researchers is unique and shows his genuine love and dedication for his work, science, research, and education.

For more information, contact Gail Yeiser

Last updated: 03/12/2009