‘STEM’
GradSTEP Preview: Natural Sciences, Engineering, and Mathematics Virtual Panel
Jan. 11, 2012—This year’s GradSTEP event will feature two simultaneous panels of recent PhDs who have made the transition from grad student to full-time faculty positions. They chose to work at institutions that are, in some ways, very different from Vanderbilt. Panelists include: Tara Davis is currently in her first year as an Assistant Professor of Mathematics at Hawaii...
Learning to Teach, Teaching to Learn: A Spring 2012 Graduate Course
Jan. 6, 2012—Grad students in science and engineering fields with an interest in teaching take note: The Department of Physics and Astronomy is offering a one-credit, graduate-level course on science pedagogy. PHYS302: Learning to Teach, Teaching to Learn Course #13242 Directed readings and discussion of topics in the teaching of science and engineering. Practical application of best...
Junior Faculty Teaching Fellow Spotlight: Ioana Suvaina
Oct. 5, 2011—Each month, the CFT Newsletter highlights the work of our Junior Faculty Teaching Fellows. This month, Ioana Suvaina, Assistant Professor in the Mathematics Department talks about her teaching philosophy and interests: College is a wonderful period in one’s life. It is a time of discovering the world around us through science, art and interactions. It...
Teaching and Research at a Teaching-Intensive Institution (August 19th)
Aug. 10, 2011—From this week’s BRET Office of Career Development newsletter… “The BRET Office of Career Development and Department of Biological Sciences are pleased to present a special seminar and discussion with Dr. Leticia Vega, Assistant Professor of Biology at Barry University. Dr. Vega will present her research and talk about her role as a scientist and...
Inquiry-Based Biology Labs Give Students a Taste of Research
May. 31, 2011—by CFT Assistant Director Derek Bruff David Salisbury, one of the writers for Vanderbilt’s Research News, recently blogged about the inquiry-based biological sciences lab course designed and taught by senior lecturer Steve Baskauf. The course is an alternative to the standard second-semester lab course. It offers students an opportunity to design their own experiments to...
Teaching-as-Research Fellows Poster Session & Call for Proposals
May. 5, 2011—As part of the CIRTL Network activities at Vanderbilt, the CFT co-sponsors the Teaching-as-Research (TAR) Fellows program for graduate students and post-doctoral fellows in the STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) fields at Vanderbilt. CIRTL defines TAR as follows: “Teaching-as-Research involves the deliberate, systematic, and reflective use of research methods to develop and implement teaching practices...
Teaching Outside the Classroom – Part Two
May. 4, 2011—by John Morrell Graduate Teaching Fellow, CFT On April 5, 2011, the Center for Teaching hosted a “Conversation on Teaching” on the topic of “Teaching Outside the Classroom.” This is the second installment of a two-part blog post covering the observations made by two panelists – Steve Baskauf from Biology and David Furbish from Earth...
See What I Mean: Using Prezi in Mathematics
May. 3, 2011—This is a guest post by Hang Wang, a graduate student in mathematics. The post is part of our spring “See What I Mean” blog series highlighting the effective use of visuals in presentations and lectures. At a math conference in May 2010, I was impressed by a presentation in which the speaker, Scott Morrison...
Teaching Outside the Classroom – Part One
Apr. 29, 2011—by John Morrell Graduate Teaching Fellow, CFT On April 5, 2011, the Center for Teaching hosted a “Conversation on Teaching” on the topic of “Teaching Outside the Classroom.” This is the first installment of a two-part blog post covering the observations made by two panelists – Steve Baskauf from Biology and David Furbish from Earth...
Karl Smith: Engineering Education Research, Teaching as Design, & the Connected Mind
Apr. 20, 2011—by CFT Assistant Director Derek Bruff Last week, the Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching, and Learning (CIRTL) hosted a talk by Karl Smith, Professor of Cooperative Learning in Engineering Education at Purdue University. Professor Smith’s talk was titled “Studies at the Interface: Engineering Education Research and Engineering Education Innovation,” and in the talk,...