{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"August 14, 2026 - Robin Cooper (2026 Great Teacher Award Winner)","description":" LEXINGTON, Ky. (August 14, 2026) \u2013 The University of Kentucky Alumni Association started the Great Teacher Award program in 1961 to honor excellent teaching at the university. There have been more than 300 teachers honored since that first year. Nominations may only be submitted by current students.  To receive the award, a candidate must: Hold the rank of full-time lecturer or above and have been a member of the faculty for the past three years at UK. Have superior knowledge of the subject matter. Have original and innovative classroom presentations. Demonstrate concern for students, both inside and outside the classroom setting. Not have been a recipient of the award for the past 10 years. A committee of the UK Alumni Association Board of Directors and a representative from the student organization Omicron Delta Kappa select the recipients based on objective rating and ranking of the eligible nominations submitted. This episode of Behind the Blue spotlights one of the six Great Teacher Award winners for 2025: Robin Cooper, a professor of neurobiology and neurophysiology in the UK College of Arts & Sciences. Cooper\u2019s research focuses on the mechanisms underlying synaptic differentiation and communication between neurons and muscle cells. A comparative physiologist, he has spent decades investigating how living systems work and fostering the same curiosity in his students. An accomplished scholar, he has published extensively, served as editor-in-chief of the\u202fInternational Journal of Zoological Research, and is deeply engaged in community outreach and STEM education.  \u2018Behind the Blue\u2019 is available via a variety of podcast providers, including Apple Podcasts, YouTube and Spotify. Subscribe to receive new episodes each week, featuring UK\u2019s latest medical breakthroughs, research, artists, writers and the most important news impacting the university. \u2018Behind the Blue\u2019 is a production of the University of Kentucky. Transcripts for most episodes are now embedded in the audio file and can be accessed in many podcast apps during playback. Transcripts for older episodes remain available on the show\u2019s blog page.  To discover how the University of Kentucky is advancing our Commonwealth, click here. This interview has been edited for time and clarity. ","author_name":"Behind the Blue","author_url":"http:\/\/behindtheblue.libsyn.com\/podcast","html":"