Erica
Timko Olson
May 2022
Erica
Timko Olson
,
PhD, RN
University of Minnesota School of Nursing
Minneapolis
,
MN
United States

 

 

 

Erica's passion for, and ability to integrate her research interests with her everyday teaching demonstrates her out of the box thinking. She is wholeheartedly and holistically committed to the learning and well-being of her students.
Erica exemplifies the demonstration of creative and novel ways of approaching the understanding of nursing. She engages in the scholarship of discovery and the scholarship of teaching related to the integration of nature, mindfulness, and metacognition into the classroom and care environments. In so doing, she effectively incorporates content that extends beyond the usual or expected approach to nursing. Erica has partnered across disciplines, most recently with experts in the School of Public Health, to advance our understanding of the role that nature therapy plays in health and healing. Not only does she explore these concepts through scholarship of discovery, but she also incorporates these concepts into her teaching approach. Attending a lecture, seminar, or active-learning session by Dr. Timko Olson provides learners with exposure to metacognitive thinking, evidenced-based strategies grounded in the science of teaching and learning, and opportunities to integrate the healing components of nature into sterile classrooms. Her passion for, and ability to integrate her research interests with her everyday teaching demonstrates her out of the box thinking. She is wholeheartedly and holistically committed to the learning and well-being of her students. Erica’s ability to integrate concepts of forest bathing and nature-based healing approaches into her research and classroom work serves as evidence that there is no “box” in her conceptual understanding of nursing and nursing education. If evidence suggests that mindfulness, metacognition, and nature-based therapy have a positive impact on wellness and well-being, Dr. Timko Olson sets forth to infuse that evidence into all of her spheres of influence. This is, in fact, “Get Rid of the Box” thinking. In her commitment to thinking differently about nursing and nature, Dr. Timko Olson also demonstrates thinking differently about students. She considers the impact that she can have on student learning through her evidence-based pedagogy but also addresses the impact that she can have on students’ experience of learning. She has been known to begin course sessions with nature images or relaxing music or focused meditations for stress reduction. She signals to the student that she has high expectations for their performance, but simultaneously offers very high support for their overall well-being. She is Out of the Box and on an extraordinary mission to change our understanding of humanity, nursing, and nature. It is an honor to nominate Erica for this award. She is elevating our school through the dissemination of her work on forest bathing and nature therapies, she is elevating our curriculum through the infusion of mindfulness and metacognition, and she is elevating our students through her compassionate care and engagement in classroom stress reduction techniques. We are all gratefully more “out of the box” because of Erica’s passionate influence and leadership.