One of our favourite parts of the annual Human Anatomy and Physiology Society (HAPS) conference is hearing about the new ways that technology is changing and advancing physiology education - the creativity of educators never ceases to inspire us! For the last few years we have been the proud sponsor of the Sam Drogo Technology in the Classroom Award, which not only recognizes great qualities in instructors such as the courage and vision to innovate in the classroom, but also celebrates the life of a friend and passionate physiology educator with whom we worked for many years.
The award is presented annually by HAPS and ADInstruments to a society member who demonstrates the innovative use of technology to engage undergraduates in Human Anatomy and Physiology. This year we'd like to congratulate two awardees, Dr. Louise Lexis of La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia and Dr. Janet Casagrand from the University of Colorado, Boulder, USA. We are honored to be part of the Sam Drogo Award and look forward to meeting the winners in San Antonio!
Introducing the 2015 Sam Drogo Award winners
Dr. Louise Lexis is a Senior Lecturer in human physiology in the School of Life Sciences at La Trobe University in Melbourne, Australia. Dr. Lexis is an accomplished scientist having completed a Master of Science in Exercise and Sport Science at the University of Florida, and a PhD in Cyclosporine A-induced oxidative stress at the University of Queensland. Dr. Lexis has extensive science teaching experience, beginning with high school teaching and expanding to lecturing at university level in the USA and Australia. Most recently, she has combined her passions for science and teaching and learning to develop an acclaimed 60-credit point advanced human physiology capstone program for final year Bachelor of Health Science students at La Trobe University with colleague Brianna Julien. Dr. Lexis is committed to providing students with the best possible opportunities to gain up-to-date physiology knowledge while also developing their research and communication skills, encouraging them to become accomplished scientists and scientifically-literate citizens.
Dr. Janet Casagrand is a senior instructor in the Department of Integrative Physiology at the University of Colorado at Boulder . Dr. Casagrand received her Bachelor of Science degree in Biology and mathematics from Drew University in New Jersey, and her Doctorate in neurobiology from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. After completing two post-doctoral positions in neurophysiology, at the University of Arizona and the University of Colorado at Boulder, she joined the faculty in the Department of Integrative Physiology where she teaches a variety of courses including Human Physiology, and Neurophysiology. Dr. Casagrand is passionate about undergraduate education, and continually strives to improve her students’ learning experience. She has incorporated evidence-based learning techniques in her classroom, and is involved in science education research to explore how students learn best.
