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K-State Today

August 19, 2015

Division of Biology faculty named National Academies education fellows in life sciences

Submitted by Communications and Marketing

Eve McCulloch and Alina De La Mota-Peynado, both teaching assistant professors in the College of Arts & Sciences' Division of Biology, were named 2015-2016 National Academies education fellows in the life sciences. The award was announced by Barbara Schaal, chair of the Division of Earth and Life Sciences of the National Research Council.

McCulloch and De La Mota-Peynado participated in the 2015 National Academies Summer Institute on Undergraduate Education in Science July 20-24 at Louisiana State University. The summer institute is designed to engage faculty at research-intensive institutions in taking greater responsibility for high-quality undergraduate science education.

Teams from 15 colleges and universities from across the U.S. as well as Puerto Rico and Lebanon met for five days of presentations, discussions, intensive group work and other activities that focused on enhancing undergraduate education. 

McCulloch and De La Mota-Peynado developed teaching units based on what they learned during the institute. They will implement the units in a biology course for the 2015/2016 academic year and will conduct an assessment to see if students learned the material presented. 

McCulloch received her doctoral degree from Louisiana State University in systematics, ecology and evolution and De La Mota-Peynado received her doctoral degree from Kansas State University in biology.