Biology Project Outreach

NSF Recognition Awards for the Integration of Research and Education

The University of Arizona recently received a recognition award from the National Science Foundation (NSF) for ongoing efforts to integrate research and undergraduate education. Among the initiatives and programs cited by NSF was The Biology Learning Center (BLC), and its efforts "to create innovative courses that use Internet-based resources". For a look at the full details, visit NSF's award abstract.

The Biology Learning Center and its cohort The Biology Project are proud of their contributions towards realizing the goal of making The University of Arizona the number one student-centered research university in the nation, and most appreciative of the NSF for their recognition. Among the purposes of the $500,000 3-year grant is "expanding, documenting, and disseminating ... exemplary practices over the coming three years."

• conducting workshops on tenure reform for faculty and administrators from other institutions
• increasing support for student-faculty research projects
• enhancing Web-based resources
• and production and dissemination of video and print materials that document the undergraduate biology program.

As a part of this program, Ken Williams, BLC's technology coordinator, will be attending Slice of Life '97 at The University of Chicago to present and demonstrate the BLC and The Biology Project websites, with an emphasis on how we use the web and the internet to enhance biology education.