Favero Enhances STEM Education with Innovative Lessons through Group Faculty Project

Professor of Biology and Neuroscience Carlita Favero, Ph.D., recently took part in a semester-long professional development opportunity which exemplifies the innovative teaching happening at Ursinus College.

In the Spring 2024 semester, Favero participated in the Faculty Mentoring Network. It’s a program run through the QUBES (Quantitative Undergraduate Biology Education and Synthesis) platform, a project launched in 2014 by BioQUEST, with help from the National Science Foundation. The QUBES project “provides an open and inclusive virtual space for sharing STEM classroom activities and resources, discussing teaching and the adaption of educational materials to specific institutional contexts, and working together to develop new ideas and insights that contribute to STEM education reform,” according to its website.

Through the program, Favero met weekly with other faculty interested in implementing new lessons into their curricula. The group specifically worked on developing BioGraphI (Biologists and Graph Interpretation) modules.

“[These modules] are designed to address data literacy skills while also showcasing an underrepresented scientist’s professional work and personal experience in the field,” said Favero. “[They] are lessons about graph and data interpretation that expand the representation of the scientific contributions of biologists who are members of historically excluded groups.”

The modules include video interviews with these scientists, giving students the opportunity to hear directly about their experiences and research. The faculty group worked to make their lessons inclusive for all students.

“Favero’s participation in this group underlines her status as a nationally recognized leader in expanding access to research opportunities for undergraduates,” said Johannes Karreth, Ph.D., assistant dean in the Office of Academic Affairs at Ursinus. “Initiatives like the BioGraphI project have been shown to improve science by increasing young researchers’ persistence, which in turn is crucial for scientific advances and discovery.”

Favero’s module featured Shawn Bates, Ph.D., an assistant professor of psychology at California State University Chico, whose work focuses on stress and addiction behavior in adolescents. In the module, Favero discussed with Bates his studies on benzodiazepines, a commonly prescribed treatment for panic disorder and anxiety often used by young people recreationally. Specifically in this study, Bates explored whether benzodiazepines create rewarding effects and withdrawal-induced anxiety similar to opioids as well as sex differences in response to the drug.

“It was wonderful to work with others on a common goal, get to know another scientist in my field, and publish our work,” said Favero. “I’m really proud of the module, excited to be one of the few neurobiologists [who are] part of this group, and hope that this contribution is helpful to others!”

“Favero’s innovative teaching and mentoring has opened many doors for Ursinus students and created structures that give our students a significant edge when launching their careers in science, research, and other sectors,” added Karreth.

The modules are available online for other educators to incorporate into their curricula. Favero’s lesson can be viewed here.