Teaching Excellence: Biology Department Fosters Learning, Discovery

If you ask faculty members in Utah State University’s Department of Biology why Aggie graduates’ acceptance rates to medical school, dental school and other competitive graduate programs consistently exceed national averages, the answers are similar and succinct.

“We get to know our students early and we get to know them well,” says Andy Anderson, pre-health advisor and principal lecturer in human anatomy and dissection, physiology, bioethics and microbiology.

 

The department’s personalized approach to teaching was rewarded with a surprise visit to faculty members March 24 as they gathered for their regular meeting. They were greeted by USU President Stan Albrecht, Raymond Coward, provost and executive vice president, and departmental award selection committee members, who presented the educators with Utah State’s 2009 Department Teaching Excellence Award.

 

 “On behalf of the university, I present this award with sincere congratulations,” Albrecht said. “This is a well-deserved honor in recognition of the department’s devotion to student success.”

In a written citation, Biology faculty members were praised for reaching beyond traditional classroom experiences to excite students through engagement in the process of scientific exploration in the laboratory and in the field.

 

“Whether a student’s desire is medical school or they are taking that one life science course in their college career, the Utah State University Department of Biology treats them equally, that is, with respect and a strong commitment to make biology learning an exciting journey of discovery,” the citation read.

 

Biology students concur with the award committee’s findings.

 

“One of the most valuable things my biology professors have done is to constantly add cutting edge research data to their lectures,” says graduating senior Luke Peterson, who enters Missouri’s Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine in the fall. “We’re always hearing about the latest and greatest news in our field. That really gave me an edge in medical school interviews.”

 

Peterson says he’s grateful for the research experiences he gained during his undergraduate career, including work he performed with faculty mentor Joseph Li that involves inhibiting the expression of specific genes from viruses — findings that could aid cancer treatment.

 

“I never dreamed I’d have the opportunity to perform research of this caliber as an undergrad,” he says.

 

Public health major Sherry Baker, another aspiring physician, says opportunities to conduct and present research offer students “the best kind of learning.”

 

With faculty mentor Daryll DeWald, Biology department head, Baker is investigating genes that suppress metastasis in breast cancer and melanoma. She’s presented her research on campus and at state and national gatherings.

 

“Research takes what you’ve learned in the classroom and books and increases your understanding of how things work,” she says. “You can really delve into topics.”

 

Graduating senior Brad Hintze credits a general biology course taught by professors Keith Mott and Greg Podgorski with igniting his interest in science and building his self-confidence.

 

“I wasn’t sure I could succeed in college and I heard horror stories about this particular course from other students,” the biochemistry major says. “But the course was fascinating and I earned an almost perfect score on the first exam. That, right there, gave me more confidence in my collegiate career than anything else.”

 

Hintze, who has received four graduate school offers so far, has opted to pursue graduate study at Duke University in the fall.

 

The Department of Biology offers bachelor’s degree programs in biology, composite teaching-biological science and public health; master’s degree programs in biology and ecology and doctoral programs in biology and ecology. Master’s and doctoral degree programs in toxicology are offered through the Interdepartmental Program in Toxicology. Minors are offered in biology, biomathematics and public health. In cooperation with the department, Weber State University offers an associate’s degree in nursing on USU’s Logan campus.

 

The department’s advising center assists students of all majors throughout the university in preparing for admission to medical and dental schools and other graduate programs in health and biological sciences. Efforts coordinated by the center include guiding students to undergraduate research and internship opportunities, offering mock admissions interviews and admissions test study preparation as well as writing letters of recommendation — all critical components of successful professional and graduate school admissions.

 

The Department Teaching Excellence Award was established and first presented at the university in spring 2003. Members of the 2009 award selection committee included previous Outstanding Teacher of the Year award recipients Timothy Taylor, committee chair, Ed Stafford and Laurie McNeill; previous Department Teaching Award recipients Sandi Gillam and Maria Spicer-Escalante, Faculty Senate representative Jim Haefner, undergraduates Art Mahoney, Dione Garlick and Tasha Falslev, graduate students Trevor Rowe and Ben Sessions, Office of the VP for Information Technology representative Stacie Gomm and Office of the Provost representative Larry Smith.

 

 

Contact: Provost’s Office, Larry Smith, (435) 797-0718, larry.smith@usu.edu
Writer: Mary-Ann Muffoletto, (435) 797-3517, maryann.muffoletto@usu.edu