University of Washington, Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Undergraduate Biological Sciences Education Program

News and Deadlines

Upcoming Events

News/Awards

Northwest Regional Developmental Biology Conference

Eight former and current UW-HHMI Integrative Research Interns attended the 2009 Northwest Regional Developmental Biology Conference on March 18-21 at Friday Harbor Labs.

Front row: Gerard Wallace, Daniel Kashima, Philip Louie, Yungfei Li
Back row: Rachel Denney, Tei Yoko, Cynthia Hsu
Not shown: Tanya Swartz

In print...

Read the article about the UW-HHMI Biology Fellows Program published in CBE.

Deadlines for Applicants

Postdoctoral scientists and 2009 Future Faculty Fellow Teaching Apprentices Alaron Lewis, Marcia Brown and Delip Garikipati designed and taught an undergrad course “Losing our minds: The biology of brain disease”

Future Faculty Fellows Workshop - September 1-2, 2009

The Future Faculty Fellows Program aims to prepare postdoctoral scientists for successful careers that combine research, service, mentoring, and teaching. There are two components to the program - a September workshop on teaching and career development, and a teaching apprenticeship program that provides a faculty-mentored experience in designing and teaching an undergraduate course. Application for the September 2009 workshop is now available. Apply: Workshop Application

49 postdocs from the UW, the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, the Seattle Biomedical Research Institute, and the Institute of Systems Biology attended the 2008 Future Faculty Fellows Workshop. Over the course of 2 days they learned about research, mentoring and teaching, preparing for the job hunt and other career-related issues and opportunities.

Workshop participant Jessica Yellin led a discussion on how to present research and teaching experiences when applying for jobs.

Jessica McAbee and Bill Mahoney shared their experiences as Future Faculty Fellow Teaching Apprentices with other postdoctoral fellows.

Merrill Hille led a discussion on "Balancing Family and Career Priorities" with the postdocs and faculty members Brian Kennedy, Horacio de la Iglesia, Marti Bosma, and Lyatt Jaegle.

The Future Faculty Fellows Workshop is a 2-day program that focuses on providing participants with teaching and job-seeking skills, and places a strong emphasis on introducing strategies for improving biology teaching at the undergraduate level. The workshop is held in September. Call for applications will be distributed through the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs and the UW Postdoctoral Association in August. See the Web sites for those organizations to get on their mailing lists.

Future Faculty Fellows Teaching Apprenticeship

Postdocs who complete the Future Faculty Fellows Workshop may apply for opportunities to develop and teach an undergraduate course or seminar as a faculty-mentored experience. The program involves training in course design and implementation one quarter before the fellows teach their courses. Feedback on classroom presentations, assignments, and other aspects of teaching are provided as the courses are taught during winter or spring quarter.

For Additional Information:

Contact the UW-HHMI Postdoctoral Programs Organizer. Phone (206) 543-5273

Download the Future Faculty Fellows Workshop and Teaching Apprenticeship brochure.

Faculty

Merrill Hille is a Professor in the Department of Biology and a developmental biologist who studies cell migration during zebrafish morphogenesis. She is the Program Organizer of the Future Faculty Fellows Program and the primary mentor of the FFF Teaching Apprentices.

Karen E. Petersen is a Lecturer in the Department of Biology. She has extensive experience teaching undergraduate majors and non-majors in animal physiology and morphology. She has been co-organizer of the FFF program since 2003.

Visit Biology Opportunities

Postdocs and graduate students interested in contributing to UW-HHMI and the Department of Biology outreach activities are invited to participate in Visit Biology Program. This program aims to develop age appropriate materials to connect K-12 student group visits to the UW Greenhouse to inquiry-based science teaching in K-12 classrooms.

For Additional Information:

Contact the UW-HHMI Visit Biology Programs Organizer. Phone (206) 221-6891

Postdoc & Grad Resources for Teaching and Job Seeking

The resources available to learn about career and teaching issues are numerous and online resources are rapidly increasing in number. The trick is to find the references that offer the most practical and timely advice for you. Below are references and websites that have been recommended by colleagues in the biological sciences.

Scientific Societies, University & Agencies for Education

General to all fields:

• AAAS Science Next Wave
• AAAS Career Development Center for Postdocs & Junior Faculty
• Making the Right Moves: A Practical Guide to Scientific Management for Postdocs and New Faculty
• ASCB (American Society of Cell Biology) Career Advice for Life Scientists
• BEN (BiosciEdNet): A digital library for teaching and learning in life sciences.

By Research Fields:

• APS (American Physiological Society): Education resources.
• ASBMB (American Society for Biochemistry & Molecular Biology): Education resources.
• ASCB Career Stategy Articles
• Cell Biology Education (ASCB Journal)
• ASPB (American Society of Plant Biologists): Education resources.
• ESA (Ecological Society of America): Education resources.
• TIEE (Teaching Issues & Experiments in Ecology): Journal of educational materials.
• GSA (Genetics Society of America): Websites of interest.
• SDB (Society for Developmental Biology): Education resources.
• American Society for Microbiology Teaching Library

Guides/Strategies for Informed & Innovative Undergraduate Education:

• HHMI Beyond Bio101: The transformation of undergraduate biology education.
• NAS (National Academy of Sciences) Education Hub
• How People Learn (National Academy Press)
• Science Teaching Reconsidered (National Academy Press)
• Undergraduate Science Education Links from Sigma Xi
• University of Delaware Problem-Based Learning
• University of Kansas Genetics Education Center
• University of Texas Center for Teaching Effectiveness
• University of Toronto Association for Biology Laboratory Education (ABLE)
• ACUBE (Association of College & University Biology Educators)
• Evolution & the Nature of Science Institute
• National Association of Biology Teachers
• National Center for Science Education
• National Institute for Science Education
• NSF Division of Undergraduate Education

UW Centers or Websites

• CIDR (Center for Instructional Development & Research): Provides UW instructors with resources for the improvement of teaching and learning.
• SOUL (Study Of Undergraduate Learning): A longitudinal study of undergraduates, beginning with their enrollment at UW and ending with their graduation.
• OEA (Office of Educational Assessment): A listing of the different course evaluation forms students fill out at UW.
• Catalyst: Tools, resources, and support for teaching with technology.
• Re-envisioning the Ph.D.: From the Graduate School: best practices in graduate student training and mentoring.
• Biology Department Outside Resources
• Psychology Writing Center: Resources for teaching writing to undergraduates.

Books on Career Development & Teaching

• The Academic Job Search Handbook. By MM Heilberger, JM Vick. ISBN: 0-8122-1778-0.
• Tomorrow's Professor: Preparing for Academic Careers in Science & Engineering. by RM Reis. ISBN: 0-7803-1136-1.
• A Short Guide to Writing About Biology. By J Pechenik. ISBN: 0-6735-2503-1.
• Working Effectively with Graduate Assistants. By JD Nyquist, DH Wulff. ISBN: 0-8039-5313-5.
• A Student Handbook for Writing in Biology. By K Knisely. ISBN: 0-7167-6646-9.
• Effective Grading: A Tool for Learning and Assessment. By BE Walvoord, et al. ISBN: 0-7879-4030-5.
• Teaching Tips for College & University Instructors. By D Royse. ISBN: 0-2052-9839-7.
• The Scientific Attitude. By F Grinnell. ISBN: 0-8133-0540-3.
• Tools for Teaching. By BG Davis. ISBN: 1-5554-2568-2.