Five Reinhardt University biology students and their faculty mentors had an unparalleled professional learning experience at two conferences.
Kimberlyn Black and Alex Hardy are Noyce Scholars who are interested in becoming biology teachers. Alongside Dr. Irma Santoro, they attended National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) conference held in Atlanta.
Salvador Castillo, Abby Ware, Carlos Guerrero, Dr. Aliya Davenport and Dr. Zach Felix participated in the annual meeting for the Association of Southeastern Biologists (ASB). The students are STEM scholarship recipients, working on independent study research projects. Two presented their research at the event in Winston Salem, North Carolina.
Both conferences offered more than just seminars, displays, and information tables. “It was a great conference for networking with other scientists who are doing various research. They have resources for students who want to go to grad school,” explained Dr. Davenport. “It’s a really good opportunity to be amongst people who are doing exciting research and chat with people who can help your research be better. It’s a great professional development opportunity.”
“The NSTA conference gave them the opportunity to network with excellent veteran science educators and exhibitors demonstrating some of the latest tools and materials for teaching,” explained Dr. Santoro. “They took part in workshops demonstrating best teaching practices and had the opportunity to try new products and models used in teaching difficult Biology concepts.”
