{"id":8458,"date":"2018-06-12T13:59:26","date_gmt":"2018-06-12T18:59:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.maryville.edu\/mpress\/?p=8458"},"modified":"2019-04-15T20:52:54","modified_gmt":"2019-04-16T01:52:54","slug":"stacy-donovan-helps-students-find-their-true-paths","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.maryville.edu\/mpress\/stacy-donovan-helps-students-find-their-true-paths\/","title":{"rendered":"Power Up!"},"content":{"rendered":"
Stacy Donovan, PhD, associate professor of biology and forensic science, helps students find their true paths.<\/h6>\n

Not many biology students would expect to play a game from TV host Ellen DeGeneres during class. Come to think of it, there probably aren\u2019t many professors who would encourage it, either.<\/p>\n

But Stacy Donovan, PhD, isn\u2019t your typical associate professor of biology and forensic science.<\/p>\n

\u201cBiology can be terminology heavy, and I thought, \u2018How can we have a conversation if everybody doesn\u2019t even know what the terms are yet?\u2019\u201d Donovan explains. \u201cI constantly try to think of creative ways\u2014high-tech, low-tech, whatever\u2014to get students engaged\u2014that\u2019s the bottom line.\u201d<\/p>\n

Employing DeGeneres\u2019 app Heads Up! certainly is one way to increase class engagement and excitement. On television, DeGeneres describes words, names and phrases that she reads on an iPad held above celebrities\u2019 heads; the celebrities then frantically guess the secret words from DeGeneres\u2019 clues. In class, Donovan adapts the concept to biology vocabulary, watching as students use the Heads Up! app to find innovative ways of describing \u201cmitosis\u201d or \u201ccytokinesis.\u201d Eliciting laughter and plenty of light bulb moments, the exercise pushes students to connect more to the biology terms and to each other\u2014and Donovan doesn\u2019t sit out.<\/p>\n

\"associate<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m always challenging students,\u201d Donovan says. \u201cBut they know that I\u2019ll put myself out there for these things, too. Recently, I showed them an interpretative dance as a way to learn movements that cells and tissues go through during early development to form body plans. It\u2019s important to model stepping outside of our comfort zone.\u201d<\/p>\n

Immersing students in technology and interaction to foster learning is Donovan\u2019s passion. As an Apple Teacher who has been recognized for embracing Maryville\u2019s expansive Digital World<\/a> program and helping students make the most of the free iPad they receive as undergraduates, she facilitates an active learning environment through an arsenal of digital tools designed to help Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵAPP students understand more about their coursework, their futures and themselves.<\/p>\n

Donovan\u2019s unique mix of tech resources and empathy resonates with her students. She\u2019s particularly passionate about mentoring young women as they pursue careers in the STEM fields, and she serves as faculty adviser to the Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵAPPwomen\u2019s golf team<\/a> and Empower, a student-led, feminist social justice group that aims to focus on issues across the gender spectrum. Donovan says her commitment to guiding students can be traced back to meaningful interactions with a number of educators over the years\u2014especially a chemistry professor during college.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe would do a lot of outreach at schools and be involved with what she called \u2018mall shows\u2019\u2014setting up shop inside a mall and doing hands-on chemistry experiments for people of all ages,\u201d Donovan says. \u201cSeeing her give back to the community and sharing her passion has a profound impact on me. It\u2019s important to inspire the next generation of scientists, especially girls. For me, this is a legacy I want to leave behind.\u201d<\/p>\n

Instilling Confidence<\/strong>
\nDonovan\u2019s passion for inspiring women has meant the world for students like Danelle Hale, a senior biochemistry major who\u2019s been learning from Donovan since freshman year.<\/p>\n

Hale says Donovan, who serves as her adviser, helped her participate in a summer research project and has walked her through how her future studies and career may take form.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe definitely helped me become more involved in my classes. There\u2019s a work-study opportunity on campus to work in the labs, and she helped me get going with that,\u201d Hale says. \u201cIt\u2019s really changed the way I see my classes and has helped me build a good relationship with just about all of my professors.\u201d<\/p>\n

Staying Connected<\/strong>
\nDonovan continues mentoring students after they\u2019ve left Maryville. Abeer Butt, \u201915, who graduated with a degree in biomedical sciences, was recently invited to interview for a cancer biology program at a prestigious graduate school. Nervous about the experience, Butt texted Donovan and asked to meet as soon as possible.<\/p>\n

\"associate<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was super late but she still sat with me for two hours,\u201d Butt says. \u201cShe went through every person who was going to interview me, asked me questions, did a mock interview and gave me insight on how to talk. And she doesn\u2019t expect anything in return. She\u2019s happy to sit down with us even though we\u2019re not in her class anymore. Just completely selfless.\u201d<\/p>\n

From encouraging community engagement to offering snacks during tests to working one-on-one with students, Donovan knows everything she does can help students develop confidence in their academics and in themselves.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe things you do that you think are small? You never know how those might affect somebody,\u201d she says. \u201cI just try to be real for the students and make each day count.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/i>Love<\/span>1<\/span><\/span><\/a> <\/i> <\/i>