The Genetics Society of America has named University of Utah Research Associate Professor Louisa A. Stark as the recipient of this year's for Excellence in Education. The award recognizes Dr. Stark's significant and sustained impact in genetics education.
According to the GSA the Jones Award is recognizes significant and sustained impact on genetics education. Recipients of the award have promoted greater exposure to and deeper understanding of genetics through distinguished teaching or mentoring, development of innovative pedagogical approaches or tools, design of new courses or curricula, national leadership, and/or public engagement and outreach. It is named for geneticist Elizabeth W. Jones, who was the first recipient of the GSA Excellence in Education Award in 2007.
Dr. Stark is currently the Director of the Genetic Science Learning Center at the University of Utah, where she works developing multimedia materials that focus on making genetics easy for everyone to understand. These materials are freely disseminated via the Center's and websites – the most widely-used online genetics education resources in the world. This position comes after 20 years of planning and teaching professional development programs for K-12 teachers. "Dr. Stark has pioneered innovative approaches and resources that have transformed the accessibility of genetics education," said Robin Wright, PhD, Head of the Department of Biology Teaching and Learning, Professor in the Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Development, and Senior Associate Dean for Undergraduate Initiatives in the College of Biological Sciences at the University of Minnesota, and last year's winner of the Elizabeth W. Jones Award. "Her work will undoubtedly continue to inspire teachers and students for years to come."