Excellence is a Science with This Year’s Emerson Award Winner!

Dr. Angie LaMora, an associate professor of biology at McKendree, is this year’s recipient of the 2023 Emerson Excellence in Teaching Award – and for good reason. She is known throughout campus not only as a passionate educator but also as an efficient, tactful leader and liaison between faculty and administration as they navigate the path toward a renewal of Voigt Science Hall.

 

A native of Osage Beach, Mo., Angie has served McKendree since 2014 and has been the chairperson of the Division of Science and Mathematics since 2020. She regularly teaches anatomy and physiology, principles of cellular and molecular biology, biology of development, and neurobiology classes. While these courses might sound intimidating, many of her students have commented on how Angie easily explains complex content, regularly employs a variety of learning options, and promotes lively conversation regarding all things biology. Her classes are energetic, informal, and are filled to the brim with effective teaching strategies, which include extensive videos and plenty of time to practice with – and challenge – her students.

 

Angie’s instructional approach has led to a collaboration with Cognella Publishing in which she is building a bank of critical thinking worksheets for anatomy and physiology faculty across the United States. The guide, called “Thinking Your Way through Anatomy and Physiology,” consists of a series of questions that move sequentially through topics in anatomy and physiology, and the instructor guide illustrates a step-by-step approach to solve these problems with a classroom of students. She plans on completing this book next fall. 

 

“Learning is easy when you’re curious,” Angie said. “By playing with questions and riddles in the classroom, I aim to help students find their curiosity so they are ready to receive and apply new information.”

 

Congratulations, Angie!