Tech Talk Tuesdays – Teachers of the Year 2025

Each year, colleges across the University of Delaware honor outstanding educators for their exceptional teaching. Tech Talk Tuesday is excited to welcome 2025 award recipients Dr. Erin Brannick, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Jacki Fajardo, College of Arts and Sciences, and Jennie Saxe, College of Engineering to discuss their teaching and integration of technology into the classrooms. Join us for what’s sure to be an inspiring start to the semester!

Jennie Saxe

Associate Professor
Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering
College of Engineering

Jennie Perey Saxe is an Associate Professor in the Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering at the University of Delaware focusing on undergraduate instruction in environmental engineering. Prior to joining the UD faculty in 2017, she worked for almost 14 years with the US Environmental Protection Agency Region III Office in drinking water, communications, sustainability, and multiple government affairs positions. Her research interests are in sustainability, intersections of crime and environmental justice, and engineering communication. Dr. Saxe also co-advises the Engineers Without Borders – University of Delaware Chapter. She earned her BSPH from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and her MAS and PhD from the University of Delaware.

Jacqueline Fajardo

Assistant Professor
Chemistry and BioChemistry
College of Arts and Sciences

Jacqueline Fajardo is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of Delaware, where she develops integrated first-year general chemistry and introductory biology curricula for life science, health science, and engineering majors. In addition to this foundational work, she also teaches introductory biochemistry, connecting molecular principles to systems-level biology for advanced undergraduates. She additionally serves as Faculty Director of the Interdisciplinary Sciences Learning Labs Tutoring Center, providing academic support and mentoring to a wide range of STEM students. Her teaching emphasizes active learning, interdisciplinary problem-solving, and research-style laboratory experiences that link chemistry to biological systems.

She has received multiple awards and nominations for excellence in teaching and serves widely in faculty governance, curriculum development, and student mentorship. Dr. Fajardo is also active in national conversations on STEM education reform. Most recently, she co-presented “Comprehensive Integration of Introductory Biology and Chemistry Curricula in Foundational College Courses for Life Science Majors” at the National Institute for Scientific Teaching in Denver, Colorado, and co-organized the Chemistry Education in Practice symposium at the American Chemical Society National Meeting.

Her broader professional service includes co-chairing national chemistry education exam development teams, mentoring undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral educators, and advancing inclusive teaching practices through workshops and institutes at both local and national levels.

Dr. Erin Brannick

Professor and Veterinary Anatomic Pathologist
Director of Undergraduate Programs
Animal and Food Sciences
College of Agriculture and Natural Resources

Erin Brannick, DVM, MS, ACVP Diplomate was recently promoted to Professor in the University of Delaware Department of Animal and Food Sciences (UD ANFS) where she teaches and performs diagnostic service as a board certified Veterinary Anatomic Pathologist. Following a liberal arts degree in Biology from Wittenberg University, Dr. Brannick completed her veterinary medical education, veterinary anatomic pathology residency, and graduate training at the Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine, where she concurrently completed a Graduate Interdisciplinary Specialization in College and University Teaching. Since 2011, she has taught Animal Physiology, Comparative Histopathology (microscopic analysis of healthy and diseased tissues across species), Applied Biomedical Communication, Introduction to Animal Diseases, and now One Health courses to hundreds of undergraduate and graduate students. Furthermore, she has provided academic advisement, professional career mentorship, and educational seminars to support student entry and advancement in veterinary medical, biomedical research, allied health professional, and agricultural careers.

As an educator, Dr. Brannick received the 2015 College of Agriculture and Natural Resources Excellence in Teaching and Advising award, her college’s highest teaching award, and she has been nominated four times for the prestigious UD Excellence in Teaching Award, as well as being recognized by the UD Honors Program and student athletics for her mentorship and advisement of students. Dr. Brannick currently serves as the ANFS Director of Undergraduate Programs and is active in UD ACHIEVE to foster programmatic and faculty professional development throughout her department and the university. Professionally, Dr. Brannick was recognized as a 2014 American Veterinary Medical Associate (AVMA) Future Leader and received the 2018 American College of Veterinary Pathologists (ACVP) Presidential recognition while developing and leading continuing educational programming for both organizations. She also provides K-12 educational outreach to regional schools in Delaware and to Little Children of the World in Dumaguete, Philippines.

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