Sustaining passion for teaching

Natalie Carroll, professor of agricultural sciences education and communication and agricultural and biological engineering, received the Frederick L. Hovde Award of Excellence in Educational Service to the Rural People of Indiana this academic year.

After joining Purdue’s faculty in 1995, Carroll modernized 10 key areas of Indiana 4-H curricula, including forestry, weather, geology and entomology. She enlisted the expertise of Purdue faculty and staff with subject specializations to review existing curricula, identifying and replacing outdated content.

Carroll’s passion stems from the invaluable 4-H experiences she and her own children had. Updating a weather course that contained the line, “We don’t know what makes rain,” reaffirmed the necessity of the work.

“Natalie Carroll is an extraordinary member of the College of Agriculture faculty who is dedicated to educating and inspiring the young people of our state and beyond. Her passion for the potential of what 4-H can do in children’s lives has made a significant difference,” says Karen Plaut, Glenn W. Sample Dean of the College of Agriculture.

“I’ve always had a sense of service,” Carroll says. “It was instilled in me by my parents and by growing up on a farm. Extension was very important to our family, like it is for so many others. It really makes me appreciate the way Purdue values outreach.”