Dr. Karen Schmeichel, assistant professor of biology, together with Teresa W. Lee, PhD, a postdoctoral IRACDA fellow at Emory University School of Medicine, have been named 2016 PALM Fellows.

The fellowship will support their work using the model roundworm C. elegans to help Oglethorpe biology students conduct authentic research and generate data investigating how epigenetic information is inherited through generations.

The PALM (Promoting Active Learning & Mentoring) Network is a collaboration of the Genetics Society of America, the American Society for Cell Biology and the American Society of Plant Biologists. Established to spark sustained biology education reform at diverse institutions, the PALM Network funds one-on-one, long-term mentorships for faculty or postdocs new to the effective biology education approaches. PALM provides faculty and postdoctoral fellows with resources that allow them to gain hands-on experience and long-term mentorship in bringing evidence-based, effective active learning strategies into their own classrooms. The longer term goal is to lead enduring change that will positively influence the teaching culture at each PALM fellow’s institution.