STEM Education Advisory Board
The Searle Center for Advancing Learning and Teaching collaborates with the new STEM Education Advisory Board to guide departmental-/program-based curricular change projects with a focus on gateway, large-enrollment, lab, and high attrition courses, empowering change agents to design for student success and transform STEM education at scale so all students can thrive.
The Searle Center also engages with the board to elevate our STEM Teaching Excellence Programs, which infuse learner-centered teaching practices that foster resilience, sense of belonging, and holistic student success for all students and catalyze pedagogical innovations through communities of practice, cohort-based intensive workshops, in partnership with colleges/schools, and multi-institutional STEM programming.
Northwestern is a longstanding member of the Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching and Learning (CIRTL), an internationally recognized network of over 40 research universities supporting the development of future faculty committed to implementing accessible, evidence-based teaching practices. The Searle Center facilitates Northwestern graduate students and postdocs who pursue recognition as a CIRTL Associate, Practitioner, and Scholar.
Pedagogical Innovations in STEM
Pedagogical Innovations in STEM is a 60-minute scholarly exchange offered each quarter, showcasing leading-edge research that informs teaching and learning strategies. We will delve into curious questions with exemplary teacher-scholars.
Student Experiences in STEM is an evidence-driven reading circle focusing on students’ experiences, development, and their perceptions of commonly used learning practices and the classroom environment. Recommended for those pursuing the CIRTL Certificate.
The collaborative work of the Board will advance the University Priorities of building resilient students and a sense of belonging.
Membership
Members are appointed by the Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education with staggered rotations up to a three-year term. The full Board is convened twice annually, once at the beginning and once at the end of the academic year by the Senior Director of the Searle Center.
Members are encouraged to:
- Share insights from their disciplines and pedagogical approaches.
- Join a working group that focuses on an evidence-based STEM education intervention aligned with the Northwestern Principles of Inclusive Teaching facilitated by an educational developer at the Searle Center (see below).
- Build their skills as change agents in their department/program/discipline, ensuring all students thrive in their educational endeavors in STEM.
Members
Faculty Members
2025–28
- Ashti Doobay-Persaud, Associate Professor, Medicine
- Stephanie Knezz, Associate Professor of Instruction, Chemistry
- Michael Peshkin, Professor, Mechanical Engineering
- Gayle Ratliff, Assistant Professor of Instruction, Physics and Astronomy
- Greg Schwartz, Associate Professor, Ophthalmology
2025–27
- Wesley Burghardt, Professor Chemical and Biological Engineering, Associate Dean of Undergraduate Engineering
- Matt Gluckersberg, Professor of Biomedical Engineering
- Julia Kalow, Associate Professor, Chemistry
- Thomas McDade, Professor, Anthropology
2025–26
- Nick Cianciotto, Professor of Microbiology-Immunology
- Robert Linsenmeier, Professor Emeritus of Biomedical Engineering
Searle Center Members
- Lauri Dietz, Director of Pedagogy and Assessment
- Denise Drane, Senior Associate Director of Research and Innovation
- Jennifer Keys, Senior Director of the Searle Center
- Erika Nadile, Assistant Director of STEM Education
- Veronica Womack, Associate Director of High-Impact Teaching
Campus Partner Members
- Liz Stein, Director of Graduate and Postdoctoral Training and Development, TGS
- Sabrina Abdulla-Wolphe, Assistant Director for STEM Learning Support, Academic Support and Learning Advancement (ASLA)