Professor Michelle Smith

Title: Identifying and Changing Persistent Conceptual Difficulties in Biology

Seminar Date & Time: Monday, May 13, 2013 @ 2:00 pm

Location: Whitehead Institute Auditorium

Michelle Smith is an Assistant Professor at the University of Maine in the School of Biology and Ecology and the Research in STEM Education (RiSE) Center. Her work focuses on how to help students learn biology and instructors adopt promising educational practices in their classrooms. Specifically, she is interested in investigating conceptual difficulties in genetics, determining what makes peer discussion an effective learning tool in both large-lecture and small-enrollment courses, and collaborating with biology instructors on science education research questions in an effort to facilitate course transformation. Michelle earned a B.A. in biology from Hanover College, an M.S. in biology from the University of Dayton, and a Ph.D. in biology from the University of Washington. She also was a Science Education Initiative postdoctoral fellow at the University of Colorado-Boulder.