Biology Faculty Member Melanie Lee-Brown Named Leadership Fellow
Melanie Lee-Brown, associate professor in the Biology Department, has been selected by the Partnership for Undergraduate Life Science Education (PULSE) program as one of 40 Vision and Change Leadership Fellows.
In a yearlong effort, the fellows will consider and recommend models for improving undergraduate life sciences education. The PULSE program is a joint initiative of the National Science Foundation, Howard Hughes Medical Institute and the National Institutes of Health.
The 40 fellows, chosen by an expert panel from 250 applicants, come from 24 states and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and represent research universities, liberal arts colleges, comprehensive/regional universities and two-year colleges.
“The strong response we received to the call for applications reflects broad consensus in the community that change is needed,” said Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Cynthia Bauerle. “The way biology is taught needs to change in order to spark student interest in science and prepare them to answer challenging 21st century problems. The time is now.”
A Guilford faculty member since 2002, Melanie is the immediate past-president of the North Carolina Academy of Science and past-president of the North Carolina Branch of the American Society for Microbiology. She earned a bachelor’s in biology at N.C. A&T University in 1993 and a doctorate in microbiology at N.C. State University in 1998, and conducted postdoctoral research in the Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy at Wake Forest University School of Medicine.
“I am excited about working with colleagues from across the country on the implementation of the Vision and Change Call to Action for reforming undergraduate biology education,” Melanie said. “This is a powerful plan with the potential to rebuild and strengthen life science education and scientific literacy in the United States.”
