Events
- Annual Convention
- Great Teaching Round-up
- Leading from the middle
- fall conference for faculty leaders
- Webinars
"I think there is something more important than believing: Action! The world is full of dreamers, there aren't enough who will move ahead and begin to take concrete steps to actualize their vision."
Events: 2009 Biology Schedule
Biology Summary
Friday, 11:15 a.m. - 12:45 p.m.
"Strategies for Student Success Using Online Tools"
Speakers: Jay Phelan, Professor of Biology, University of California, Los Angeles; Susan Burgoon, Biology Instructor, Amarillo College; and Sam Schwarzlose, Biology Instructor, Amarillo College
Friday, 2:30 - 3:45 p.m.
"Panel Discussion: Ideas for Engaging Students and Teaching Concepts"
Saturday, 9:00 - 10:15 a.m.
"Practical Tips for Overcoming Resistance to Active Learning"
Speaker: Dee Silverthorn, Senior Lecturer in Biological Science, Unversity of Texas at Austin
Friday, February 20th, 11:15 a.m. - 12:45 p.m.
"Strategies for Student Success Using Online Tools"
Speakers: Jay Phelan, Professor of Biology, University of California, Los Angeles; Susan Burgoon, Biology Instructor, Amarillo College; and Sam Schwarzlose, Biology Instructor, Amarillo College
Biographies:
Jay Phelan teaches biology at UCLA, where he has taught introductory biology in large lectures for majors and non-majors for twelve years. He received his Ph.D. in evolutionary biology from Harvard in 1995, and his master’s and bachelor’s degrees from Yale and UCLA. His primary area of research is evolutionary genetics, and his original research has been published in Evolution, Experimental Gerontology, and the Journal of Integrative and Comparative Biology, among others. His research has been featured on Nightline, CNN, the BBC, and National Public Radio; in Science Times and Elle; and in more than a hundred newspapers. He is the recipient of more than a dozen teaching awards.
With Terry Burnham, Jay is the co-author of the international best-seller Mean Genes: From Sex to Money to Food—Taming Our Primal Instincts. Written for the general reader, Mean Genes explains in simple terms how knowledge of the genetic basis of human nature can empower individuals to lead more satisfying lives. Writing for a non-scientific audience has honed Jay’s writing style to one that is casual and inviting to students, but also scientifically precise.
Susan Burgoon is nearly a Texas native coming by way of Alabama and Illinois to the Panhandle. After earning a BS in Biology from WTSU; a stint as both a chemist and microbiologist in industrial food technology led her back to grad school in the '90's for her MS in Biology. In 1994, a college teaching position was offered and Susan thought it sounded like fun and it was! She came to Amarillo College in 1999 and has been having fun ever since sharing with students the exciting realm of Anatomy & Physiology, Biology, Environmental Science, Integrated Biology and Nutrition.
Sam Schwarzlose is a southern Texas native. He earned his degree in Biology at the University of Dallas. He began his teaching career in 1999 at St. James School in Seguin, TX. In 2005, Sam received his Master’s of Science from Texas State University studying lysogenic bacteriophage.
His experience in industry began as a Research Associate at the Texas Tech Health Science Center in Amarillo in 2006. There he researched the development of specialized monoclonal antibodies for use in disease research, vaccine development, and treatment of cancer. In 2007, he began instructing Anatomy & Physiology and Microbiology at Amarillo College and has been participating in a Texas Tech on line education research project.
Friday, February 20th, 2:30-3:45 p.m.
"Panel Discussion: Ideas for Engaging Students and Teaching Concepts"
Saturday, February 21st, 9:00 - 10:15 a.m.
"Practical Tips for Overcoming Resistance to Active Learning"
Speaker: Dee Silverthorn, Senior Lecturer in Biological Science, Unversity of Texas at Austin
Biography:
Dee Silverthorn teaches physiology at the University of Texas at Austin. She has won numerous teaching awards, including the American Physiological Society's Arthur C. Guyton Educator of the Year in 2001. Dr. Silverthorn plays an active role in the physiology teaching community nationally and internationally, and currently serves as editor of the journal "Advances in Physiology Education."
Biology Section Chair: Nichol Dolby, Amarillo College