ASM Biology Scholars Program

Since 2008, the ASM Biology Scholars Program has brought together 67 Scholars to participate in the program, a national, multiyear leadership initiative; these outstanding biology faculty members are committed to improving student learning in the laboratory or classroom and leading colleagues in national efforts to sustain undergraduate biology education reform. Through the program's independent but intertwined virtual residency programs-the Transitions Residency and the Research Residency-Scholars create and disseminate examples of the scholarship of teaching and learning that contribute to thought and practice in the biological sciences. The 2010 Biology Scholars Program launched with the Transitions Residency's Science Education Research to Publication Institute on 14-16 June. Five Scholars convened in Washington, D.C., for the Institute, which helps the residency achieve its goal of moving biology faculty from conducting scholarly work in student learning to publishing in print and electronic biology and/or science education venues.

The organizers, Erin Dolan (Virginia Tech) and Kathy Takayama (Brown University), editors from the leading biology education journals CBE-Life Sciences Education and International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching & Learning, respectively, closely mentor Scholars and help them navigate several residency components in addition to the Institute, including readings, writings, and other assignments before and after the Institute; electronic discussions and peer-to-peer mentoring via Web 2.0 communication tools; presentations on campus, regionally, and/or nationally; and submission of manuscripts to science education or multidisciplinary journals.

The Research Residency kicked off with its Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Institute on 14-17 July in Washington, D.C. Twenty-three biologists who are trained in effective teaching strategies for biology education and curious about student learning developed their knowledge and skills in evidence- based research in learning biology. The Residency is led by Alix Darden (University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center) and Carol Hurney (James Madison University), along with five facilitators who were previous Scholars. The facilitators guide Scholars at the Institute and in every other aspect of the program, including the Biology Scholars Capstone Institute, the ASM Conference for Undergraduate Educators, the Biology Scholars Listserv Community, and presentations at local and/or national meetings. Applications for the 2011 Transitions and Research Residencies are due 1 February and 1 March 2011, respectively.

The Biology Scholars Program is sponsored by ASM with support from the National Science Foundation, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, and American Association for the Advancement of Science BioSciEdNet Collaborative. In addition, several life science professional societies have aligned with and lent their expertise to the program; affiliates include the American Institute of Biological Sciences, American Physiological Society, American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, American Society for Cell Biology, Ecological Society of America, and Genetics Society of America. For more information, visit www.biologyscholars.org.