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It probably shouldn’t surprise anyone to learn that Jacqueline Davies considers Socrates one ­of her heroes. She is, after all, a professor of philosophy. But Dr. Davies has another hero, who has influenced her in ways Socrates never could.

Ms. Frizzle, the eccentric, adventuresome ­third-grade teacher from the “Magic School Bus” cartoon series, keeps Dr. Davies inspired as she encourages her students to “take chances, make mistakes, get messy!”

Dr. Davies’s ability to inspire her own students to learn fearlessly and embrace their mistakes has led to her selection as the 2015 recipient of the Alumni Award for Excellence in Teaching.

“Jackie’s classes always had a different feel to them,” says Galen Watts (Artsci’15), the student who nominated her for the award. “They were democratic, un-hierarchical and inclusive.”

Dr. Davies began her career at Queen’s in 1990, in what was then the women’s studies program. ­Today she is a continuing adjunct professor in the Department of Philosophy with a cross-appointment in gender studies and affiliations with cultural studies and Jewish studies. She also serves as acting head of the Department of Gender Studies.

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