Dr. Valerie Haywood, faculty member in the Department of Biology, was elected this spring to serve as President of the Ohio regional network for Project Kaleidoscope (OH-PKAL).  The national PKAL organization, part of the Association of American Colleges & Universities, serves as a leading advocate for transforming undergraduate STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) learning and education in the United States, promoting learner-centered education through evidenced-based best practices, faculty development and community engagement and education.

Dr. Haywood’s commitment as President of OH-PKAL commenced this past spring and will continue through May of 2021.  Dr. Haywood has been involved with OH-PKAL since 2015 when she was first asked to serve on the Governing Board. She was then elected Secretary of the Executive Board from 2016 – 2018, and, along with fellow Executive Board member, Professor Joyce Fernandes from Miami University of Ohio, was asked to represent OH-PKAL at AAC&U’s TIDES (Teaching to Increase Diversity and Equity in Science) Institute in 2017.  Their participation in the TIDES Institute directly led to the procurement of a grant from the national PKAL office to enhance the OH-PKAL annual conference this past May, allowing them to invite keynote speaker Dr. Melvin Hall, Professor of educational Psychology at Northern Arizona University, and Senior Scholar in AAC&U’s Office of Undergraduate STEM Education.

“I look forward to the next three years with OH-PKAL. I’m very enthusiastic about our efforts to bring awareness to undergraduate STEM education reform, particularly ways to enhance retention and diversity in STEM” Haywood said. “OH-PKAL has several grant opportunities for interested faculty, including the STEM Teaching Partnership and the STEM Teaching Collaboration Project. I strongly encourage interested faculty to apply!”.

For more information about OH-PKAL and the 2018-2019 grant opportunities, please visit: https://www.aacu.org/pkal/regional/ohio