Maurina Aranda, a SEPAL Postdoc alumnus, was awarded Promotion and Tenure to Associate Professor at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE). Maurina will not only continue to teach biology to her many students at SIUE but also continue forth her research efforts on student learning in biology.
Congratulations, Maurina, on your professional achievement!
SEPAL Program Coordinator Lucy Luong was recently approved Co-Principal Investigator status on SEPAL’s NSF IUSE Grant – Assessing the Impact of Engaging Students as Active Change Agents in Chemistry Curriculum Reform Using Scientist Spotlights. She will apply what she has learned working with SEPAL programs in SFSU Biology and The Scientist Spotlights Initiative to engage undergraduate students as change agents in Chemistry with collaborators at University of San Francisco.
Congratulations, Lucy!
Paul Nagami, a SFSU Biology and SEPAL research group MS alumnus, has earned his tenure as a biology instructor at Mission College. Paul will continue to share his knowledge on science education with his many students and fellow faculty at Mission College.
Congratulations, Paul, on your professional achievement!
Greetings from The Grove Center for Excellence in Science Education, Pennsylvania State University!
Kimberly Tanner brought SEPAL to instructors on the East Coast. During a 2-day session at Penn State, Kimberly shared about SFSU Biology’s department-wide efforts on scientific teaching and hosted interactive workshops to showcase active learning and share strategies that promote fairness in the classroom. Learn more about the 2-day event here.
Way to go, Kimberly!
SEPAL programs and research efforts aimed at humanizing scientists in undergraduate science courses have recently been awarded over $1.5 million in grant funding by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and National Science Foundation (NSF). Both grants will expand upon the efforts of The Scientist Spotlights Initiative to expand and investigate how humanizing science curriculum may impact students’ interests, attitudes, and success in science.
The NIH award – The Scientist Spotlights Partnership Program: Engaging High School Students in Exploring Biomedical Science Careers by Connecting with Counter-Stereotypical Scientists – will be launched in collaboration with colleagues at Foothill College and University of Georgia. We aim to partner high school teachers and students with undergraduate Biology students, who may serve as near peer mentors, to support high school students in co-authoring new Scientist Spotlights. To learn more about the NIH SEPA project, click here…
The NSF award – Assessing the Impact of Engaging Students as Active Change Agents in Chemistry Curriculum Reform Using Scientist Spotlights – will be conducted in collaboration with Chemistry colleagues at the University of San Francisco. We aim to engage undergraduate students as active change agents in Chemistry curricula through authoring more Scientist Spotlights in chemistry. To learn more about the NSF IUSE project, click here…
Both research and development efforts will contribute to the growing online database of Scientist Spotlights, where students in high school and college can experience the assignments and reflect on their own ideas about who does science.
SEPAL Postdoc Alumnus Sara Brownell, now at Arizona State University, is featured in a recent ASMBMB Today article titled “Changing pedagogy for changing students.” Sara shares her memories from the SEPAL Scientific Teaching Institute and how she has refocused her teaching to address equity, diversity, and inclusion.
Click here to read the full article.
Amazing work, Sara!
Greetings from the Moscone Center here in San Francisco!
SEPAL was present at the American Chemical Society (ACS) Fall 2023 Meeting to present the Scientist Spotlights Initiative to the chemistry community. SEPAL Program Coordinator Lucy Luong was there in-person to represent and showcase Scientist Spotlights research led by Maurina Aranda, Dax Ovid, Jeff Schinske, and Kimberly Tanner.
Way to go, Lucy!
Round of applause for SEPAL graduate student Elleanor Pangilinan on presenting her completed Master’s Thesis: “Investigating How Biology Faculty of Color Integrate Their Social Identity Into Their Professional Work.” Elleanor has officially earned her master’s degree at SFSU!
Congratulations, Elleanor!
Round of applause for SEPAL graduate student Katherine (Katie) White on presenting her completed Master’s Thesis: “Investigating Student Memories of Stories Used to Teach Science.” Katie has officially earned her master’s degree at SFSU!
Congratulations, Katie!
Round of applause for SEPAL graduate student Francisco Sanchez-Vasquez on presenting his completed Master’s Thesis: “Investigating Undergraduate Biology Student Leader Perceptions About How Biology Instructors Promote Inclusion.” Francisco has officially earned his master’s degree at SFSU!
Congratulations, Francisco!
©2025 SEPAL is made possible through funds from the National Institutes of Health Science Education Partnership Award (NCRRSEPAR25RR024307-01), National Science Foundation GK-12 Grant (DGE0337949), PFSMETE Start-Up Grant (DGE-0136879), SFSU Center for Math and Science Education, SFSU Institute for Civic and Community Engagement and through in-kind support from the SFSU Department of Biology and College of Science and Engineering.
