April, 2022
Melissa presents on the research collaboration with Min, Cerrone, and Miriam related to how we can measure students behaviors (e.g. motivation, implementing expert-like strategies) as students learn to read primary scientific literature. Thank you to FALCoN, the Faculty Learning Community of NIST (National Institute on Scientific Teaching) for the invitation.
March, 2022
The undergraduate professional development (senior seminar) curriculum paper is published!
Download the PDF here: jmbe.00346-21
November 2021
Cathy wins a FIU Women’s Explorer Award! Congratulations, Cathy!
June 2021
Kyriaki, MJ, and Kassandra have their work on the 5CCs in introductory Biology courses published!
Download the PDF here: jmbe.00105-21
March 2021
Melissa presents the data from the Bioscience paper on the Fairchild Garden tours as part of the FIU Plant Talk Series.
February 2021
Our paper on using the 5 Core Concepts of Biology to help students understand primary scientific literature is finally published!
Download the PDF here: Exploring PSL through the lens of 5CCs
November 2020
Mainlyng presents her summer research at the Virtual McNair conference
October 2020 Faculty Convocation Keynote Speaker
Melissa delivers the Keynote Address at the FIU 2020 Faculty Convocation (starts at 35 minutes in)
October 2020 Plant paper
Jessica, Simone, Ateev, and Melissa (finally!!!!!) publish our work on measuring, and working to alleviate, “plant blindness” in undergraduate biology students.
Download the PDF here: biaa089
July 2020 SABER
Kyriaki and Melissa present at the 2020 SABER Virtual meeting
July 2020
Eva and Kyriaki publish their paper on Sense of Belonging in a Biology Department. Our first lab CBE paper!
Download the PDF here: cbe.19-09-0166
March 2020
On the eve of quarantine, the FIU Biology-Ecology-Botany-Research Integrity-Journalism team places second in our Bowling league
February 2020
Mainlyng presents as a McNair Scholar in Orlando, FL
February 2020
Melissa, Jessica, Kiana, and Amy host the “Alleviating Plant Blindness in Undergraduates” workshop at Fairchild Tropical Botanical Garden.
February 2020
Melissa hosts Dr. Bruce Alberts as the 2020 Glaser Seminar Series Distinguished Speaker.
It was an honor to be able to share my mentor with FIU (and to tell stories while introducing him!)
January 2020
Kyriaki presents in Mumbai, India, at epiSTEME: A Conference Series to Review Research on Science, Technology and Mathematics Education
December 2019
Lab breakfast at IHOP, celebrating a successful semester.
December 2019
Three graduates this semester! Congratulations and best of luck to Amy, Kiana, and Idara! We are proud of you and cheering you on to your next steps!
October 2019
Our lab had a HUGE presence at the McNair undergrad research conference!! Kiana, Amy, Hannah, Idara, Laura, Enza, Mainlyng, Kassandra, and Ruben all presented posters.
** getting closer to my dream of someday having a picture of everyone at once! **
Here are 8 out of 18 people currently in the lab, 44%…almost halfway there!!!
October 2019
Mainlyng presents at the STEM Transformation Institute weekly lunch seminar series
October 2019
Kyriaki presents at the National CIRTL Forum in Philadelphia
October 2019
Melissa speaks at ComSciCom Miami on how to explain a scientific paper in 120 words.
September 2019
Kiana presents at the McNair Symposium (and so does honorary lab member Rose)
September 2019
Tessy’s paper is published!
July 2019
The lab travels to the SABER (Society for the Advancement of Biology Education Research) annual meeting with SIX posters! Special guest: John Geiger
We were also included on a poster with Mary Washburn and Miriam Segura-Totten at the University of North Georgia…our first official collaboration!
June 2019
Simone wins a Young Botanist award!
(celebratory lunch included)
April 2019
Chelsey and M.J graduate!!! Congratulations!
(complete with a celebratory breakfast)
April 2019
Melissa gives a presentation on what we are doing in the lab at the FIU Discipline Based Education Research (DBER) seminar series
April 2019
Amy, Kiana, and Chelsey present their research at the FIU undergraduate research conference.
February 2019
Kiana, Simone, Ateev, and Rose (honorary lab member) presented their research at the Emerging Researchers National (ERN) conference in Washington, DC.
February 2019
Matt’s PLOS Biology paper is featured on The Node: a community site for and by developmental biologists:
February 2019
Kiana is accepted as a McNair Fellow for 2019-2020!
January 2019
Matt’s first paper is published in PLOS Biology!
December 2018
Melissa presents on how to include primary literature into your course as part of the American Society of Cell Biology’s annual meeting.
November 2018
Nick presents his first poster at the FIU Learning Assistants Conference. Nice work Nick!
November 2018
Simone and Chaz receive McNair Fellow awards for their summer research projects
November 2018
Melissa gave a seminar to the Biology Department highlighting research done by Eva, Matt, Kyriaki, Chelsey, Kiana, and Amy.
October 2018
Good bye and good luck to Matt!
October 2018
FIVE undergraduates in the lab presented at the 2018 FIU McNair conference!
Amy’s first poster!
I can’t keep track of how many posters Chaz has done. He is a pro!
Chelsey’s first poster!
Kiana’s first poster (and right before a big orgo exam)!
Simone’s first McNair poster!
August 2018
Welcome, Kyriaki! We are happy you are here at FIU!
July 2018
We had three posters and two talks at the 2018 SABER conference. Matt was a champ helping out with them all!
July 2018
Eva’s paper is published! download PDF
July 2018
Eva is going back to Sweden, but not without some cake first. Good luck Eva! We will miss you!
June 2018
Eva’s paper is accepted! Go Eva!
May 2018
Our lab has FIVE abstracts accepted to the 2018 SABER biology education conference!
April 2018
Chris presents his research at the FIU Faculty Innovations for Student Success Showcase
Chaz presents his research at the FIU STEM Undergraduate Research Symposium
March 2018
Our first paper as a lab is PUBLISHED!!!!!!!!
February 2018
Chaz and MJ present their research at the Emerging Researchers National Conference in Washington, DC
October 2017
Chaz and MJ present their research at the FIU McNair Scholars Research Conference
MJ at the poster session!
Dr. Melissa McCartney 