Biology
Niels Bols is regarded as a teacher of the first order by undergraduate students, graduate students and colleagues alike. He is equally at home with an introductory course of 500 students or an upper-year course with an enrolment of ten. He uses a unique and humorous teaching style that allows students to visualize the most difficult of concepts. Both his demonstrations and his analogies are legendary. Although his lectures are clearly fun, he does not sacrifice the intellectual rigour that exemplifies every aspect of his scholarship. He instills in his students a lasting excitement and enthusiasm for biology. In addition to his skills as a lecturer, professor Bols is an outstanding researcher who devotes considerable energy to the training of graduate students. He works closely with his students and demonstrates great concern for both their academic development and their personal welfare. His commitment to graduate education extends to his administrative portfolio as graduate officer responsible for in-course students. Professor Bols is invariably the faculty member whom graduate students see when problems arise. He has a reputation for even-handedness and for acting as a persuasive student advocate when the cause is justified.