Central Wisconsin News

Professor Nate Bowling has received the University Excellence in Teaching Award for 2025 at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. Known for his work in Advanced Organic Chemistry, Bowling has influenced many students, including junior Elijah Randazzo, who credits Bowling’s teaching with inspiring his interest in research and plans for graduate school.

Randazzo, a first-generation college student from Waupaca, initially started at UW-Platteville before changing his major after taking organic chemistry with Dr. Bowling. Over the years, Bowling has published 24 peer-reviewed articles and guided more than 90 undergraduate students through research projects during both the academic year and summer sessions.

“Last July I had just made my own final compound and remember thinking, ‘I’m the first person in the world who made this.’ We are mostly responsible for how to get there and yet, he’s there when we have a question,” said Randazzo.

Bowling is recognized by students for setting clear expectations and providing practice problems and quizzes. His approach includes using relatable comparisons to make complex topics understandable. According to Randazzo: “He has a way of breaking down concepts that makes a complex process make a lot more sense. It makes you want to keep learning. He really does go far above the normal.”

Mya Beyerl, a 2025 chemistry graduate, noted that Bowling seeks feedback from students on course activities such as in-class problem days: “He once asked what I thought about his in-class problem days during lecture. We ended up having a conversation about the pros and cons of them.”

Bowling regularly adapts his teaching methods based on student surveys regarding classroom activities and assessments. He emphasizes building personal connections by learning all student names early each semester and maintaining an open-door policy.

“I feel the success I have had as a teacher comes down to seeing students as adult human beings. Like any adult, they want to feel that they are valued,” said Bowling. “My students appreciate my intentional focus on building personal connection through learning their names in the first week of the semester and having an open-door policy for student questions.”

David Snyder, chair of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, praised Bowling’s impact: “He has had a transformational impact on the lives and careers of a generation of students at UWSP, and his teaching, scholarship, and mentorship are cornerstones of the chemistry and biochemistry curriculum,” Snyder wrote in an award nomination letter.

In upcoming semesters, Bowling will continue teaching CHEM 325-Organic Chemistry courses at senior level while drawing inspiration from recent Nobel Prize-winning topics.