CEILS, Undergraduate Research Center, and UCLA Library Piloting Collaborative and Active Learning

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“WHERE INNOVATION IS BRUIN,” the catchphrase of the UCLA Center for Education Innovation and Learning in the Sciences (CEILS), also exemplifies the Science and Engineering Library’s approach to reconfiguring its facility in Boelter Hall to better support student and faculty teaching and learning needs. Case in point: Two current pilot projects in which the library is working with CEILS and the Undergraduate Research Center—Sciences.

 

Read the full article in the Library Newsroom.

Congratulations to Professor Neil Garg, Recipient of the Baylor University’s Robert Foster Cherry Award for Great Teaching!

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California Professor of the Year Neil Garg is the 2018 recipient of the prestigious Robert Foster Cherry Award for Great Teaching. The Cherry Award honors outstanding professors who are extraordinary, inspiring teachers with a positive, long-lasting effect on students and a record of distinguished scholarship.

View the full article in the UCLA Newsroom.

Congratulations to Professor Joshua Samani, Dept. of Physics and Astronomy for Receiving the 2017 My Last Lecture Award

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Over 50 years ago, the “My Last Lecture” award was established to honor a UCLA professor who inspired students. Every year, the Alumni Scholars Club asks students from all over campus to vote for their favorite professor, the one whose teaching has inspired them the most. These notable UCLA professors were given the chance to put all of their life lessons and advice for students into one “last lecture.”

Hosted by the Alumni Scholars Club (ASC), this year’s award ceremony and lecture took place on Tuesday, May 16 from 7-9pm in the De Neve Auditorium.

Congrats, Professor Samani, and thank you for your inspirational teaching!

To see past recipients of this award and watch their lectures, please see the UCLA Alumni website here.

Congratulations to Dr. Tracy Johnson, Professor of Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology, for receiving the 2017 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Award for Faculty Career Commitment to Diversity!

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Dr. Johnson, a Howard Hughes Medical Investigator has been instrumental in establishing and supporting the Organization of African-American Students Excelling in STEM (OASES), a program that supports the success of African-American and other minorities in science. She also established a research-based program for first year science majors from underrepresented and underserved groups.

As the Life Sciences Associate Dean for Inclusive Excellence, and Co-Chair of the Life Sciences Diversity Advisory Committee, Dr. Johnson has played a major role in making Life Sciences a campus and national leader in diversity and inclusive excellence. Her work has been the driving force for the requirement of a statement on contributions to diversity and inclusion in all faculty merit and promotion dossiers.

Finally, Dr. Johnson has developed strategies to achieve excellence in pedagogy and scholarship through diversity and inclusion and was part of a small group of campus faculty who contributed to the passage of the College of Letters and Science Diversity Course requirement.

UCLA Undergrads and Faculty Attends Conference on STEM Education Research

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(Left to Right: Shanna Shaked, Such Amin, David Ho, Ronnel Azizollahi, Nguyen Nguyen, Nikhil Shah; Photo credit: Deb Pires)


On March 24, 2017, a group of UCLA faculty and undergraduates enjoyed taking part in SoCal PKAL 2017 – the regional meeting of the Association of American Colleges & Universities Project Kaleidoscope, held at the University of California, San Diego. Some of UCLA’s recent efforts in physics education research were presented in poster form by the undergraduate learning assistants and researchers pictured here.

AAU Mini-Grant Recipients – Drs. Gina Poe, Megan McEvoy, and Erin Sanders: UCLA to Enhance Undergraduate STEM Education

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Pictured above are Director of the mini-grant Dr. Gina Poe (middle), and Co-Directors Drs. Megan McEvoy (right) and Erin Sanders (left).

UCLA is among 12 universities nationally to be awarded a grant from the Association of American Universities to fund workshops on campus over the next year to assess all programs that support and retain undergraduate students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

Read more in the UCLA Newsroom.

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2017 UCLA Mobile Summer Institute on Scientific Teaching
July 24-28, 2017 | University of California, Los Angeles

Applications now open!

The Summer Institute (SI) is a prestigious teaching development program that aims to improve college education in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) and to enhance the academic success of all students by helping current and future faculty develop and adopt inclusive and effective teaching practices.

We invite faculty and instructors to participate in UCLA’s inaugural SI, which will draw on the expertise of both presenters and participants. Relevant education research, active learning, assessment, and inclusive teaching are woven into the program. The SI creates a forum to share ideas and develop innovative instructional materials to be implemented in your classroom.

Click here to learn more about the UCLA Summer Institute on Scientific Teaching.

Click here to apply!

UCLA Team Attends Conference on Biology Education Research

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(Back, Left to Right: Elizabeth Roth-Johnson, Jordan Moberg Parker, Marc Levis-Fitzgerald, Christopher Lee; Front, Left to Right: Shanna Shaked (and Quin), Jessica Gregg, Erin Sanders, Blaire Van Valkenburgh, Gaston Pfluegl, Rachel Kennison; In attendance but not pictured: Frank Laski, Kristin McCully and Nadia Sellami)

On January 14-15, 2017 a group of UCLA faculty and staff were proud to take part in SABER West 2017– the first regional Society for the Advancement of Biology Education Research (SABER)  conference, held at the University of California, Irvine.  UCLA’s recent efforts in biology education research were represented through presentations and poster sessions in addition to participating in networking events.

Help Get the Word Out About LS110 – Career Exploration in the Life Sciences

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UCLA has so many talented students who start out with intentions to major in the sciences, but for different reasons do not end up staying in the sciences. One way that UCLA is working to address this issue is through a course called LS110 – Career Exploration in the Life Sciences, a 2-credit upper division course where students learn about the many options available to them if they graduate with a degree in science.

 

Please help us get the word out! We have created a video with student testimonials about the course and FAQs are available as well.  Here are some ways you can help:

  • Option 1: Show this video in your class and encourage students to check out the course
  • Option 2: Post the link below in CCLE for your students to view, or email it to them and encourage them to check out the course
  • Option 3: Watch the video yourself so you can make an announcement about the LS110 course and share the direct link to the website with students who want to learn more during class

This video and additional information are available at:   https://ceils.ucla.edu/ls110

If you have any questions, or would like to invite the instructor to come to your class this quarter or next to talk about the course, please email Rachel Kennison at rkennison@ceils.ucla.edu.