Wanda Howell blasts a piercing whistle and then calmly and quietly says to her 30 students, "That means it's time to start, and everyone in Wanda's world knows it's time to be attentive."
Howell, a nutritional sciences professor, is known worldwide as a top researcher and pioneer of parenteral nutrition, or feeding by vein.
But research is just a small part of Howell's success. Howell is also a university-distinguished professor whose real love is for the classroom.
Howell's love for the classroom is apparent, as she received the 2003 Western Region Award for Excellence in College and University Teaching in Food and Agricultural Sciences.
"I believe teachers need to know their subjects, but secondly, they need to be entertainers and have such a joy for what they do so that it's fun to teach," Howell said.
Howell's teaching style reveals her joy.
"She makes things like renal failure and liver failure fun," said Jennifer Bowers, nutritional sciences undergraduate programs coordinator, and former student of Howell's.
When students were asked their opinions of Howell, almost everyone answered, "She's crazy."
Howell said she thinks her enthusiasm and off-the-wall teaching style stem from her days as a cheerleader.
"You can always break out in a cheer. It is important just to have fun with it," Howell said.
"She's goofy and entertaining and not intimidating," said Shari Schoentag, a nutritional sciences senior. "She goes off on tangents, and her (teaching assistant) has to steer her back on track."
One way Howell makes nutritional sciences less intimidating is by pulling situations out of textbooks and applying them to the real world, or Wanda's World, as she refers to it.
"She tries to make the class as interactive and hands-on as she can," said Ashley Bush, a nutritional sciences senior.
Her love for entertainment and 1950s music can be found in her office in the form of a life-sized Elvis cardboard cutout.
Howell, a preteen in the 1950s, began her nutritional sciences training when she was just a child, growing up in rural Tennessee. Her parents were poor subsistence farmers, and they ate what they grew.
She received her bachelor's degree in home economics-dietetics at Miami University. She received her master of education in nutrition and dietetics at the University of Cincinnati and her doctorate in health professions education at the University of Pennsylvania.
She juggled school with her work as a teacher, a nutrition consultant, a nutrition education specialist and a lecturer at several hospitals and universities across the United States.
The experience gave her insight into how to make the learning process more enjoyable.
"I did it, then I taught it. I think students can be so enriched by someone who has been in the real world," Howell said.
Her co-workers and former students appreciate her willingness and enthusiasm in class.
"She demonstrates innovative teaching methods that allow the students to think critically and solve complex, case-based problems that prepare them for careers in health care," said John Stroster, a two-year TA of Howell's.
Howell has been teaching at the UA since 1985. She began as a lecturer and quickly moved up the ranks to professor and director of the didactic dietetics program in the department of nutritional sciences.
Lori Mennella, the business manager for the nutritional sciences department, said, "Wanda is very busy and very energetic."
Howell loves to travel and has attended conferences in Germany, Colombia and Canada, where she was an invited speaker.
She stays busy by being involved on campus. Howell holds positions in many UA associations and organizations, acting as the chair of the Arizona Faculties Council, vice chair of the faculty and the presiding officer of the Faculty Senate. She is also a member of the Geriatric Education Center, the Teacher Education Review Committee and the UA Ombuds Committee.
Despite her tight schedule, Howell still makes time to reach out to her students and bring them into Wanda's World to master nutritional sciences concepts.
"You don't even realize you are learning because the classes are so enjoyable," Bowers said.
Editor's note: This is the first of a weekly feature profiling professors. If you know a top-notch professor who deserves recognition, e-mail us at news@wildcat.arizona.edu.