Congrats to undergraduate researcher Jordan Fluker! He was awarded an Auburn University Undergraduate Research Fellowship to work in the Ballen lab as a part of the inaugural group of Matthews Scholars. This research fellowship will be supported by the College of Science and Mathematics and the Matthews Scholar Program, a collaboration between the Office of Undergraduate Research, the Honors College, and the Office of Inclusion and Diversity.
Robin Costello presents at the MNT-conference in Stavanger, Norway. She is visiting and conducting research in Norway on an international mobility grant through the Research Council of Norway, in collaboration with Sehoya Cotner, Professor at University of Bergen and Centre Director of bioCEED.
We are SO excited for Maria De Jesus to join the crew as PhD student. They are currently at Florida State University and will be working in the lab this summer through an NSF Summers Scholars Internship Program. Welcome!
— Dr. Melanie Lenahan – @mbiotech@sotl.social (@mbiotech) February 24, 2023
Thanks to the National Institute on Scientific Teaching for the invitation to chat about the lab’s work on Ideological Awareness. This is a great community of biology and STEM instructors who care deeply about evidence-based teaching. Had a great time chatting with and learning from them!
Ballen was awarded the 2022 Inclusive Excellence in STEM (IES) Award from the College of Science and Mathematics at Auburn University. Read more about it here!
Heading into Christmas, I want to share my early Christmas present- I am thrilled to announce that I have accepted a tenure track Assistant Professor position in the Department of Biology at the University of Mississippi starting August 2023!
Totally delighted for postdoctoral researcher Dr. Sharday Ewell for her upcoming position as an assistant professor at University of Mississippi, starting Fall 2023!
Congrats to Robin Costello for winning the iEMBER Lightning Talk Award in the graduate student/postdoc category from the summer in-person meeting. Great job!
Congrats to Sharday Ewell for receiving an award at the American Society for Cell Biology Conference for her presentation on help-seeking behavior among biology students!
Ballen lab alum Sara Odom stopped by Auburn to say hello with her two Axolotls. Sara works in science education at Huntsville’s Space and Rocket Center.
Ballen and Postdoc Ryan Dunk presented work on ideological awareness at the National Association of Biology Teachers (NABT) conference in Indianapolis, IN. We co-presented with Dr. Jeremiah Henning and M.S. student Darrien Caudle from South Alabama through the support of the iEmber Research Coordination Network. Also – SNOW! We were happy to retreat back into the subtropics.
Postdoc Sharday Ewell presented her work today on self-regulated learning at University of Alabama at Birmingham through the ROSE seminar series in biology.
Postdoc Sharday Ewell is discussing her work on study habits in collaboration with the EDU-STEM network at the 2022 Western Regional Meeting of the American Chemical Society in Las Vegas, Nevada!
“The struggle is real” – PhD Candidate Emily Driessen gave a seminar this weekend on student struggle in undergraduate biology at the Association of the College and University Biology Educators (ACUBE) conference. Congrats EPD!
Dr. Sharday Ewell selected for SEC’s Emerging Scholars Program! She’s at University of Missouri this week to participate in workshops that prepare future-faculty.
Ballen delivered her promotion & tenure seminar last week to biology faculty, DBER colleagues, friends, and family (including Miko, pictured). Post-seminar departmental celebrations included raspados – a favorite!
Ballen and postdoc Costello awarded an international mobility grant from the Research Council of Norway to collaborate with colleagues at the Centre for Excellence in Biology Education at the University of Bergen!
Robin Costello presents DataVersify research in a STEM Education Research symposium at the Centre for Excellence in Biology Education (bioCEED) in Bergen. Robin is in Norway studying the impacts of high stakes exams on Norwegian students in collaboration with Sehoya Cotner through mobility funds from University of Bergen.
Amelia Radocha spent the summer at Auburn through an NSF Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program. She led the qualitative coding for a project related to help-seeking behavior among undergraduate biology students. The lab will miss her positive energy!
Lots of labbers presented at the Society for the Advancement of Biology Education Research (SABER) Annual Conference last week in Minneapolis, MN!
Emily Driessen educated a different crop of students through Gross Out Camp last week, a science experience for campers entering first through fourth grade (ages 6-10). It’s taught by expert naturalists and instructors with advanced science degrees and the campers explore their world to discover zoology in the form of local critters!
Robin Costello is representing the lab at this year’s iEmber Conference in beautiful Billings, Montana! This meeting brings together folks from biology and multiple social science disciplines to collaborate and share ideas related to DEI in biology. She’ll be presenting results from our DataVersify project: studying the impacts of highlighting and humanizing scientists as role models in undergraduate biology courses.
Cissy attended the Evolution meeting in Cleveland, Ohio this week to participate on a panel focused on incorporating research into teaching (and got to catch up with some of her favorite evolutionary biologists!).
Summer REU student Amelia Radocha is co-hosting a Pride event to highlight the science and experiences of those who self-identify as LGBTQIA+ community and allies in Auburn. This event will include the voices of undergraduates, graduates, post-docs, and faculty.
Amelia and Sam host Pride even in Auburn!
Congrats to Sharday Ewell for being selected to participate in the SEC Emerging Scholars Program! The program is designed to encourage top scholars to pursue careers in higher education through professional development and networking opportunities.
Welcome to the lab, Ryan Dunk!! Ryan joins the lab as a postdoc after completing a BER PhD with the Wiles lab from Syracuse University. They just finished up a postdoc with Emily Holt from University of Northern Colorado.
The DataVersify Team (most of it): Melissa Kjelvik, Marjorie Weber, Emily Driessen, Liz Schultheis, Robin Costello, & Cissy Ballen (plus Ash Zemenick, not pictured!)
The NSF DataVersify team in DC! We’ve been meeting fortnightly since 2018 over zoom, and are together for the first time to discuss next steps and big ideas.
Robin Costello presents a poster showing the impacts of diversified and humanized role models on student attitudes and interest in science careers.
We are at the NSF Summit for the Improvement of Undergraduate STEM Education in Washington DC this week – connecting with colleagues (IRL!) and presenting progress on our DataVersify project!
Congrats to postdoc Sharday Ewell for getting her M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction with a concentration in Adult Education! #ProudPI
Emily Driessen is representing the lab at AERA in San Diego, presenting a round-table discussion of open-note exams in undergraduate science.
Todd Lamb delivered a stellar thesis defense presentation, and passed his final oral exam. Many congrats Todd!
^Several years ago in a massive lecture hall at UMN that seats 700 students!
Cissy visited the Department of Biology Teaching & Learning last week at the University of Minnesota to discuss recent research from the lab. It was so wonderful sharing ideas and catching up with the department!
Cissy delivered a virtual seminar on inclusive representation of scientists in biology to the Department of Botany at the University of Wyoming!
Undergraduate researchers Rachel Youngblood and William Grogan presented their work at this year’s undergraduate research symposium!
The 2022 Auburn Speedy Weenie Run! A Swabian Tradition, where people run a 3-5km race while carrying 1kg of wieners (or sides), to a BBQ finish line.
Undergraduate award! BIG CONGRATS to undergraduate researcher Rachel Youngblood who was awarded an Auburn University Undergraduate Research Fellowship to work with me, Robin Costello, and the Dataversifyteam. The fellowship supports her independent research over the upcoming Summer, Fall and Spring semesters.
PhD Candidate Emily Driessen interviewed for Auburn’s College of Science and Mathematics graduate program
Cissy, Emily, and Robin trot Auburn’s ‘War Eagle Run Fest’ half marathon! Woof.
Welcome to the lab, Robin Costello!! Robin joins the Ballen lab as a postdoctoral associate after completing a disciplinary biology PhD with the Brodie lab from UVA. We’re excited to have her join the group!
Todd Lamb was selected to receive the 2021 Carlock Award for Excellence in Graduate Student Research in Biology Education from the Association of the College and University Biology Educators (ACUBE). Congrats Todd!!
Emily Driessen and Abby Beatty were selected as EDU-STEM Scholar Mentors over the Fall 2021 semester. In addition to receiving funding for research, they will participate in a professional development mentorship program. Congrats to both! Sept 2021.
Many congrats to postdoc Sharday Ewell for being selected to receive a 2021 Attendance Grant for the Cell Bio 2021 Meeting!
Received official award notice from the NSF about our Improving Undergraduate STEM Education grant! This kicks off 3 yrs of research exploring ideological awareness in bio classrooms with soon-to-be postdoc Abby Beatty, Jeremiah Henning, & alongside students and bio instructors!
Congrats to Enya Granados, a Master’s student working in the lab over Fall 2021-Spring 2022, for being awarded the National Association of Biology Teachers 2021 Outstanding New Biology Teacher Achievement Award. Excited to have Enya join the lab!
SABER 2021 is underway and we have some great presentations from the lab (and friends) happening over the next few weeks.
Our annual Equity & Diversity in Undergraduate STEM (EDU-STEM) Research Coordination Network meeting took place June 29-30, 2021! Biology ed researchers and instructors from across the United States caught up and discussed projects, ideas, and future directions. It was great to see everyone and strike up some new collaborations!
We were awarded a “Supported Preliminary Awards for Research Collaboration” (SPARC) Grant through the NSF-funded iEMBER network, led by postdoc Abby Beatty. This funding will bring together folks from institutions across Alabama to conduct research.
Our “Fostering Ideological Awareness In Postsecondary Biology” collaborative earned an iEMBER Inclusive Teaching and Research Project Idea Award. This project is led by Abby Beatty and in collaboration with Jeremiah Henning (South Alabama), Sheritta Fagbodun (Tuskegee University), Randy Klabacka (AU), and Kimberly Mulligan (AU). Way to go team!
Big showing at the inaugural X-DBER conference hosted by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL). Nice going Claire Tracy & Jenna Pruett, Abby Beatty, Emily Driessen, Tashitso Anamza, & Todd Lamb!
Emily Driessen on panel discussing her paper on overcoming challenges for students in the COVID era. Oct 7, 2020.
Lab members Todd Lamb and Cissy Ballen featured in Science Daily: Research network aims to improve learning outcomes for students underrepresented in STEM.
How students relate to scientists impacts student retention: A $1 million NSF funds a study to examine data literacy instruction with direct connection to STEM. Lab members Emily Driessen and Cissy Ballen in COSAM News! See the full story here.
The Ballen lab and the Weber lab at Michigan State were awarded a 5-year collaborative grant from the National Science Foundation (IUSE) to develop biology materials with humanized and diverse scientist role models – and research those impacts! Excited to welcome postdoc Ash Zemenick, founder of Project Biodiversify, to the lab!
Many labbers are presenting research at this year’s virtual July SABER conference! Check us out (all central time)!
>Jul 10, 3pm, Sara Berk, Context matters: variation in psychosocial factors across three institution types
>Jul 17, 12pm, Cissy & Ash Zemenick, A scientist like me: demographic analysis of biology textbooks reveals both progress and long-term lags
>Jul 24, 12pm, Emily Driessen, Demystifying the Meaning of Active Learning in Undergraduate Biology Education
>Jul 31, 12:20pm, Jeremiah Henning, Hidden identities shape student perceptions of active learning environments
Jeremiah Henning and Ballen invited to co-present a plenary talk at the annual EDU-STEM meeting on July 22nd, 2020, entitled Addressing intersectionality in Biology Education Research: the power of collaborative networks.
Jul 8, 2020 Sara Odom delivered an excellent thesis defense presentation, and passed her final oral exam. Congrats Sara!
Emily Driessen delivered a webinar at University of South Alabama’s Conference on Teaching and Learning on her research about demystifying active learning in biology education research. Check out the recording here. Nice job Emily!
Undergraduate awards! Undergraduate researcher Taylor Gusler is AU’s 2021 nominee for the Be The Creed Award, an award that “was created to recognize Auburn students who exemplify the values of the Auburn Creed: hard work, honesty, sympathy, respect, helpfulness, obedience and good sportsmanship.” Additionally, undergraduate researcher Abby Esco was selected as a War Eagle Girl for 2021-2022 to represent Auburn University as a student ambassador. Congrats Taylor and Abby!
We’re excited to welcome new graduate student Todd Lamb to the lab!
Ballen receives NSF-funded Equity & Diversity in Undergraduate STEM (EDU-STEM) Research Coordination Network grant to coordinate and conduct research on STEM equity!
EDU-STEM launches in Las Vegas! The network coordinates and researches evidence-based classroom experiences across biology curricula. For more information, check out the website for our network here.
November was an exciting month for visitors! Dr. Shima Salehi from Stanford University and Dr. Katelyn Cooper from University of Central Florida and came and discussed quantitative and qualitative approaches to studying equity in biology.
Emily Driessen selected to receive the Carlock Award for Excellence in Graduate Student Research in Biology Education from the Association of the College and University Biology Educators (ACUBE). Congrats Emily!
Ballen’s research featured in an article published in Cornell’s Ezra Magazine shows that students benefit from elements of active learning, and this in turn positively affects learning and student performance.