Heidi Elmendorf, associate professor of biology at Georgetown University, has been honored as District of Columbia Professor of the Year from the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The award recognizes Professor Elmendorf’s innovation in the curriculum and her leadership in community-based and experiential learning. Elmendorf is director of undergraduate studies in biology and director of science education outreach. In that role, Elmendorf assists professors seeking grants from the National Science Foundation to demonstrate the broader impact of their research.
Elmendorf co-founded the biology of global health major with Anne Rosenwald, another award-winning biology faculty member. A gateway course for the major requires students to develop and defend a series of communications-intensive science projects, including scientific research proposals, science policy white papers, public service announcements, and educational projects. The course is intended to understand real world scenarios affecting science research and policy.
In addition, Elmendorf has been a leader in community-based learning for over a decade. She created a course called RISE&Teach, a three semester program for upperclass undergraduates majoring in the sciences or mathematics to student-teach in public and public-charter high schools. Students in the course are required to demonstrate mastery of the content and the impact of their teaching in the classroom. This year students have taught at Dunbar High School and at Cesar Chavez Public Charter Schools. Elmendorf is the 5th Georgetown University professor to win the award.
Past winners have included Joan Riley, associate professor of human science and nursing (2009); James Sandefur, professor and chair of the department of mathematics and statistics (2008); Joseph Neale, professor of biology (1998); and the late Monika Konrad Hellwig, professor of theology (1988).
Read more about Professor Elmendorf and the D.C. Professor of the Year award.