1. Kansas State University
  2. »Division of Communications and Marketing
  3. »K-State Today
  4. »Trevor Durbin and Emily Klocke recognized as Professors of the Week

K-State Today

Division of Communications and Marketing
Kansas State University
128 Dole Hall
1525 Mid-Campus Drive North
Manhattan, KS 66506
785-532-2535
vpcm@k-state.edu

March 11, 2024

Trevor Durbin and Emily Klocke recognized as Professors of the Week

Submitted by Candace LaBerge

Trevor Drubin and Emily Klocke

Trevor Durbin, assistant professor of anthropology in the College of Arts and Sciences, and Emily Klocke, clinical professor in clinical sciences in the College of Veterinary Medicine, were recognized as Professors of the Week at the March 9 men's home basketball game. Faculty Senate, the Office of the President, K-State Athletics and the Division of Communications and Marketing wish to recognize their contributions to K-State.

Durbin received his doctorate in cultural anthropology from Rice University, where he developed expertise in medical and environmental anthropology. Durbin teaches Introduction to Cultural Anthropology, Introduction to Medical Anthropology and Global Health, Environmental Anthropology, Anthropological Theory, Medical Narratives, and Initiation to Anthropology.

He not only enculturates students into the doing of anthropology, but he has taken the initiative to involve K-State undergraduates in his fieldwork projects and has co-published with several students and alumni. Durbin's research is far-ranging and focused on how humanity is interacting with its environs and the consequences of those relationships. In the Cook Islands, he looked at how the state "negotiates an ambiguous and risky position when facing the combined challenges of climate change (including ocean acidification, sea-level rise, and intensified storms), overfishing, marine pollution, severe economic vulnerability to the vagaries of global markets, colonial legacies, and domestic challenges." In a more recent study in Custer, South Dakota, he looked at how the community was creatively engaging with pine beetle epidemics by hosting a Burning Beetle festival and ritually torching a beetle effigy. Other recent research topics include how today's environmental and social realities have impacted firefighter cultures, and cattle ranching in the Midwest.

Klocke joined the College of Veterinary Medicine in July of 2005. She is a clinical professor in small animal soft tissue/general surgery and is board certified by the American College of Veterinary Surgeons, small animal.

Klocke provides exceptional patient care at the Veterinary Health Center while teaching fourth-year veterinary students and mentoring surgery interns and residents. This equates to a service that sees approximately 1,300-1,400 surgical patients annually, 125 fourth-year veterinary students and 10-12 interns/residents per year. In addition to core clinical service and teaching, Klocke delivers an advanced surgical experience course to fourth-year students and also serves as the course coordinator for the third-year Veterinary Surgery 1 didactic course and laboratory courses. 

Klocke has received many accolades during her career at K-State. She has been recognized for her teaching excellence through the Excellence in Teaching Award, the Fort Dodge Teaching Excellence Award, Carl J. Norden-Pfizer Distinguished Teacher Award, and Teaching Excellence Award for Instruction of third-year veterinary students — as voted by the students — and her mentoring skills have been awarded the Excellence in Resident Mentoring Award and Excellence in Faculty Mentoring Award. Her clinical service and compassion for her clients have earned her the Pet Trust Faculty Award and Pet Tribute Faculty Award several times. She has also been honored with the Kansas Veterinary Medical Association KSU Distinguished Service Award and received KAWSE Women of Distinction recognition.