By: Julianna M. Klose
barry-news@mail.barry.edu
Barry faculty member, Dr. Gilbert Ellis, was recently was selected as one of 500 professionals and academics to attend a national conference discussing the future of biology education.
The invitation-only event, “Transforming Undergraduate Education in Biology: Mobilizing the Community for Change” was designed to improve undergraduate biology education by engaging professionals in discussions to lead to future action. Participants included biology researchers and educators, as well as representatives from professional societies, funding agencies and research and education centers.
The conference was sponsored by the American Association for the Advancement of Sciences (AAAS) and grew out of conversations between these professionals and undergraduate students regarding new approaches and resources to improve the quality of undergraduate biology education.
Ellis, an assistant professor of biology, was particularly involved in the session discussing student-centered learning and engaging students in discourse. Other sessions defined concepts and competencies, new ways to integrate research across curriculums, resources to support change and changing the institutional approach to support innovation.
Ellis has been an active member of AAAS since 1986. He most recently presented a poster comparing lab-based and lecture-only life science courses for non-science majors at the organization’s annual meeting in April 2007. He was invited to attend the most recent conference, held July 15-17, 2009 in Washington, D.C. due, in part, to that presentation.
AAAS is the largest scientific organization in the country, with a membership of more than 130,000 members. It is dedicated to advancing science around the world through education, leadership, and professional association and publishes the well-known journal, “Science.”
barry-news@mail.barry.edu
Barry faculty member, Dr. Gilbert Ellis, was recently was selected as one of 500 professionals and academics to attend a national conference discussing the future of biology education.
The invitation-only event, “Transforming Undergraduate Education in Biology: Mobilizing the Community for Change” was designed to improve undergraduate biology education by engaging professionals in discussions to lead to future action. Participants included biology researchers and educators, as well as representatives from professional societies, funding agencies and research and education centers.
The conference was sponsored by the American Association for the Advancement of Sciences (AAAS) and grew out of conversations between these professionals and undergraduate students regarding new approaches and resources to improve the quality of undergraduate biology education.
Ellis, an assistant professor of biology, was particularly involved in the session discussing student-centered learning and engaging students in discourse. Other sessions defined concepts and competencies, new ways to integrate research across curriculums, resources to support change and changing the institutional approach to support innovation.
Ellis has been an active member of AAAS since 1986. He most recently presented a poster comparing lab-based and lecture-only life science courses for non-science majors at the organization’s annual meeting in April 2007. He was invited to attend the most recent conference, held July 15-17, 2009 in Washington, D.C. due, in part, to that presentation.
AAAS is the largest scientific organization in the country, with a membership of more than 130,000 members. It is dedicated to advancing science around the world through education, leadership, and professional association and publishes the well-known journal, “Science.”