The Center for Life Sciences Education (CLSE) and those who teach our undergraduate biology students continue to be recognized for leadership in improving the way biology is taught to our majors (biology is the largest major at Ohio State) and the 10,000 non-majors who are served in the Introductory Biology Program each year.

Cynthia Dassler, program coordinator, EEOB, and Roman Lanno, associate professor, EEOB, have each been named a National Academies Education Fellow in the Life Sciences for the 2011-12 academic year.This singular honor results from their active, enthusiastic participation at the 2011 National Academies Summer Institute on Undergraduate Education in Biology, in June. Competition for spaces at the Institute is highly competitive; being selected to participate is recognition of a record of superior accomplishment.

Stephen W. Chordas III, senior lecturer, CLSE, has been named a 2011-2012 National Academies Education Mentor in the Life Sciences for his superior performance as a facilitator for Summer Institute participants. Last year, Chordas and CLSE Director Caroline Breitenberger were named 2010-11 National Academies Education Fellows in the Life Sciences.

The Summer Institue is the direct result of a key recommendation from the 2003 National Research Council report, Bio2010: Transforming Undergraduate Education for Future Research Biologists, which called for programs of professional development to engage faculty at research-intensive institutions in taking greater responsibility for high-quality undergraduate biology education.