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CORVALLIS, Ore. - Oregon State University professors Kathleen Dean Moore and Gary Ferngren have been selected by OSU's University Honors College for its Eminent Professor Awards for 2011. These awards recognize outstanding OSU faculty for their academic achievements and service to the honors college and its students.

Moore, who holds the university's "Distinguished Professor" title, is a faculty member in the Department of Philosophy and the founding director of the Spring Creek Project. She is a leading writer and scholar on environmental ethics and the author of several books and essay collections on the natural world. Moore has brought environmental philosophy to popular audiences and professionals, and engaged students on the topic.

During this past winter term, she taught a University Honors College course in "Practical Reasoning for the Environmental Professional," that culminated in a March weekend spent in the snowy forests of the McKenzie River headwaters, where students discussed the moral issues ingrained in the daily work of natural resource professionals.

Ferngren was recognized as a 2011 Sandy and Elva Sanders Eminent Professor for his years of service to the University Honors College. He is a professor in the Department of History with research interests in the histories of religion, ancient medicine, and the relationship between science and religion. Like Moore, he is recognized as one of OSU's top teachers, and has shown special commitment to the University Honors College.

For more than 30 years, Ferngren has offered a colloquium in the works of C.S. Lewis, first for the OSU Honors Program and, since its founding in 1995, for the University Honors College. The course has become a favorite institution in the UHC curriculum, and it has consistently received superlative reviews from students.

The Eminent Professor awards are made possible through the support of donors, particularly Ruth Beyer and Joseph (Sandy) and Cheryl Sanders.