Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Another Honor for One of Our Own! Congratulations to Jackie McDonnough!


From the VCU Newscenter: 2/9/09



VCU’s Center for Life Sciences Education Names New Director


Jacqueline McDonnough, Ph.D., assistant professor in the School of Education at Virginia Commonwealth University, has been named the director of VCU Life Sciences’ Center for Life Sciences Education.

"In my position as director I can combine my interest in science with outreach to K-12 schools and the community," said McDonnough. "I absolutely love making connections between the various constituencies in the science education community and this position will allow me to do that in a more formal way."

The director of the Center for Life Sciences Education is responsible for overseeing a $700,000 Howard Hughes Medical Institute Foundation K-12 education grant, as well as guiding programs for science teachers, students and the general public that furthers their understanding of all areas of the life sciences.

McDonnough assumed leadership of the Center for Life Sciences Education this month, and will continue her duties as an assistant professor and adviser for secondary science education in the Department of Teaching and Learning. She takes over from Dr. Richard Rezba, who was director from 2003 through 2008. He retired in December.

McDonnough has been involved in science education for the past 19 years and is currently finishing research on pre-service elementary teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs. Her work has been published in a variety of regional, national and international science education-related journals.

McDonnough served as the director of the Virginia Governor’s School of Life Science and Medicine from 2002 to 2005 and is a board member of the Virginia Association of Science Teachers.

McDonnough taught high school, middle school and elementary school students from 1988 until 1999. She served as an adjunct instructor at VCU in 1999, before completing her doctoral degree at the University of Virginia. She had been a tenure-track assistant professor in the department of Teaching & Learning since 2003.

VCU’s Center for Life Sciences Education promotes science literacy locally, regionally, and nationally. The center works with teachers by providing free teaching aids, hosting summer workshops for educators and maintaining a variety of partnerships with local and national organizations. In addition, the Center for Life Sciences also publishes a career guide and conducts annual surveys about life science issues in the public eye.


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