Tara Prestholdt, biology, won the 2019 Excellence in Teaching Award at the 63rd Annual Meeting of the Association of College and University Biology Educators (ACUBE). The award is offered annually to honor faculty who both practice and promote effective, innovative teaching in the biology classroom.
While the entire campus is no doubt aware of Prestholdt’s polymathic proficiency, mathematics professor Stephanie Salomone explains it best: “Tara is a true mentor to her undergraduates. Tara’s expectations for her co-researchers are high. They will not just do good science, but they will be able to explain their work to people who are as far as possible from experts. They will not just enjoy science, or like science; they will find science exciting,the process of discovery exhilarating, and the difficult cognitive task of explaining science to laymen motivating. Every student that I’ve known who has worked in Tara’s lab has come out skilled in scientific research, and eager to get back into the lab or the field to do more.
“Further, Tara Prestholdt is dedicated to improving undergraduate education on campus and beyond. Tara’s work on the NSF-funded REFLECT project has helped transform the culture of undergraduate STEM education at UP into one that responds to the evidence of what makes for great teaching – active, hands-on, engaged approaches to instruction. She is a supportive mentor for other faculty who are new to evidence-based practices, she is innovative in her own approaches to teaching, and she is a leader who deeply deserves this recognition.”
Join the STEM Education and Outreach Center and the Garaventa Center for their Joy of Teaching brown bag lunch on Thursday, November 14, noon to 1 p.m., in Franz Hall 120. The theme of this lunch is “Hope.” Time to gather with like-minded joyful teachers for sharing of information, impressions, and the ends and pieces of leftover Halloween candy.
The Women in Leadership Forum welcomes UP mathematics professor and STEM Center director Stephanie Salomon on Tuesday, September 10, at 6 p.m., in Franz Hall room 120. The Women in Leadership Forum connects students, faculty, and staff with dynamic women who are leaders in the Portland community. The Forum is a place for sharing stories, building connections, and supporting the development of women in leadership. Salomone will share her experiences as a woman leader in STEM and academia, as well as insights she’s gained around inclusion, equity, and mentorship.
Hannah Highlander, mathematics, has been awarded the 11th Annual Sigma Xi Outstanding Researcher Award, given annually by the Columbia-Willamette Chapter of Sigma Xi, the international scientific research honorary society. She will be honored at a ceremony on May 28. College of Arts and Science dean and mathematics faculty member Herbert Medina points out that this is the second consecutive year that a UP mathematics faculty member has won the award (with Aaron Wootton winning kin 2018).
The University’s annual Reading Fair will take place on Sunday, February 24, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., in the Chiles Center. “Rumble in the Jungle” will be a reading fair and family STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) day hosted by Kappa Delta Pi and the UP STEM Education and Outreach Center. The fair is freeand open to all children from preschool through 8th grade.
The Oregon Academy of Science has selected Stephanie Salomone, mathematics, as a winner of the OAS 2019 Outstanding Educator: Higher Education award.
The REFLECT Institute, funded by the National Science Foundation’s Improving Undergraduate STEM Education: Education and Human Resources grant, met on the UP campus from May 14-17 for four days of deep thinking about defining and moving towards a vision for STEM teaching excellence at the University of Portland. Attendees included mentors Eric Anctil, Heather Dillon, Carolyn James, Valerie Peterson, Tara Prestholdt, and Stephanie Salomone; and fellows Laurie Dizney, Eli Goldwyn, Ryan Kenton, Elliot Mylott, Cara Poor, Niki Schulz, Kristin Sweeney, Jen Symons, Buck Taylor, Tammy VanDeGrift, and Christine Weilhoefer.
Stephanie Salomone, mathematics, has successfully completed a grant proposal which will allow the University to take part in a $3.3 million grant through the Western Regional Noyce Alliance. Salomone will serve as principal investigator on a subcontract of $400,000 to plan and run a Western Regional Noyce Conference in Portland in February 2020. This will be different than UP’s current Noyce grant, also led by Salomone. The conference will be a professional development opportunity for pre-service and in-service K-12 science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) teachers in high-needs schools who have participated in Noyce programs in the Western part of the United States. It will also engage teacher educators from higher education in dialog about how to better prepare and retain teachers in high-needs schools.
The following science, technology, engineering, and mathematics faculty members have been selected as STEM Innovation Fellows and will participate in the first REFLECT institute in May, funded by a National Science Foundation Improving Undergraduate STEM Education (IUSE) grant, according to Stephanie Salomone, mathematics. The REFLECT project stands for “Redesigning Education for Learning through Evidence and Collaborative Teaching,” and will develop and facilitate training workshops to expose faculty to highly effective evidence-based resources and pedagogies at UP.
The University of Portland’s STEM Education and Outreach Center is sponsoring a new speaker series to encourage students to think outside the box about career possibilities, according to Tisha Morrell, education. The speaker for the premiere session will be Tommy Pham ’09, ’11, lead patent strategist at NIKE. He will speak on his experience in the worlds of entrepreneurship and science, and his work in global innovation. His talk will take place on Thursday, April 12, 7 to 8 p.m., in Franz Hall room 120. Refreshments will be served. For ADA accommodation requests or questions, please contact