Dr. Melissa Gross, associate professor of movement science and director of the Behavioral Biomechanics Laboratory, is one of three finalists selected for Baylor University’s 2026 Robert Foster Cherry Award for Great Teaching. The Cherry Award is the only national teaching award – with the single largest monetary reward of $250,000 – presented by a college or university to an individual for exceptional teaching. The winning professor will be announced by Baylor in spring 2026.

Dr. Gross will present her Cherry Award finalist keynote, "Learning to Look: Cultivating the Anatomical Gaze,” on Friday, Sept. 26, from 2:30-3:40 p.m. in the School of Kinesiology Building, rooms 2600 and 2080 (overflow seating). Open to the public; no RSVP needed.

About the finalist: A biomechanics researcher noted for her interdisciplinary work, Dr. Melissa Gross has published more than 40 peer-reviewed articles and served on the editorial board for the Journal of Applied Biomechanics. A past president and fellow of the American Society of Biomechanics, she has secured over $1.5 million in grant funding from NIH, NSF, and Veterans Affairs. In 2014, Gross received the Arthur F. Thurnau Professorship, which recognizes tenured U-M faculty whose commitment to and investment in undergraduate teaching has had a demonstrable impact on the intellectual development and lives of their students. She has held leadership roles in academic innovation and digital education, including serving as director of the School of Kinesiology's Innovative Teaching and Learning initiative (2013-2019) and U-M's Women in Science and Engineering program (2019-2024). Gross currently serves on the executive committee for the U-M Center for Interprofessional Education.