Teaching is a dream job for Maureen Rutherford.
While the associate professor of psychology started her academic career with the intention of becoming a physician, her job shadowing experience showed her that medical school wasn’t the right path for her.
Instead, Rutherford headed off to graduate school and found a new passion: teaching.
“I didn’t know I wanted to teach until I was asked to teach a class in grad school,” she said. “I was having such a great time trying to break something complicated down in a fun way. I was like, maybe this should be my job?”
Since then, Rutherford hasn’t looked back. Today, she teaches a variety of psychology courses at Indiana University Northwest, many of them focusing on behavioral neuroscience. It’s a complex topic, but Rutherford is dedicated to helping her students succeed, no matter their background.
“I try to meet students where they’re at,” she said. “I don’t ever want a student to come in and think they can’t do something, because that just shuts the whole learning process down.”
In addition to teaching the subject matter in a digestible way, Rutherford is also committed to helping her students develop skills like information literacy, communication, collaboration and even empathy.
“Knowing about the neuroscience behind psychological conditions helps them be more empathetic and realize certain things are outside of our control,” she said. “I think that helps them be kinder human beings when they go out into the world.”
Because of her efforts in the classroom, Rutherford was recently recognized with a prestigious IU honor, the Herman Frederic Lieber Memorial Award. She’s one of 58 university-wide recipients of this honor since its inception in 1960, with only four other IU Northwest professors having received it.
The award recognizes teachers who have also proven their excellence beyond the classroom, and Rutherford’s dedication to student research opportunities is just one example of how her mentorship extends beyond the classroom.
Her lab, focusing on stress responses in zebrafish, takes on several student researchers each semester. It gives those students a chance to build up their research skills and resume before they reach grad school — an experience that isn’t the norm at every university.
But what really makes Rutherford stand out as an educator is her ability to connect with her students. She prioritizes gaining their trust from day one. As a first-generation student and IU Northwest graduate herself, Rutherford is especially able to relate to her students.
“I really want them to talk to me, get to know me and trust me,” she said. “If they do run into issues later in the semester, either academic or personal, it helps that they’re ready to come talk to me. I want them to truly learn and go beyond just worrying about a grade.”
Focusing on connections has paid off. In addition to receiving an award for her teaching, she’s also been able to see her former students go on to do great things.
“My first independent research student just finished her doctorate, and she invited me to her Zoom defense,” Rutherford said. “The fact that she thought to include me was just unmatched.”
Though she’s had plenty of success with her current teaching approach, as Rutherford looks ahead, she knows she’ll have to adapt. She said the craft of teaching is always changing, and educators must constantly adapt their styles.
But even though change is certain, Rutherford is eager to keep meeting students where they are.
“Teaching has been my dream job, and as soon as I got the chance to start teaching, I haven’t looked back,” she said. “I’m just feeling so very honored to be recognized among all of the amazing faculty we have here.”
