Dr. Beverly K. Pierson

Beverly K. Pierson
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Beverly K. Pierson, Ph.D.

Beverly K. Pierson, Ph.D., has been chosen to receive the 1999 Carski Foundation Distinguished Teaching Award.Dr. Pierson is a Professor in the Biology Department at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Washington.She is honored for her distinguished teaching of microbiology to undergraduate students and for encouraging them to subsequent achievements.The award is sponsored by the Carski Foundation.

Dr. Pierson received her M.A. and Ph.D., from the University of Oregon and has taught at the University of Puget Sound since 1975.She has developed, taught, updated, and expanded courses in the Biology department.Her teaching responsibilities include Introductory Biology, Cell Biology, Microbiology, Origins of Life, Junior Seminar, and Senior Thesis.Dr. Pierson has also taught the Microbial Ecology and Physiology courses at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, MA.

Her excellence has been recognized by the University.In 1995, she was designated Distinguished Professor of Biology and in 1996, she was appointed the first University Professor of Natural Science.The University stated that Dr. Pierson exemplifies the teacher- scholar model and the qualities that the University Professorship celebrates.

Dr. Pierson's former students comment on her dedication and expectations of excellence.Students are motivated by her high standards, and she has had a tremendous impact as an advisor, mentor, and role model.She incorporates modern issues into her courses and does not isolate microbiology as a historical study.Her syllabus states, "Newspapers report daily on the origin of life and the detection of life on Mars, world-wide concerns about biological warfare, contamination of our food and water supplies, newly emerging epidemics, the spread of antibiotic resistance, and the use of microorganisms to clean up an ever-increasing load of toxic wastes in our environment-this course will address many of these issues."Dr. Sarah Bommer, a former student of Dr. Pierson and a supporter of her nomination, states, "In her classes, Dr. Pierson demanded high standards, emphasizing the breadth and relevance of science to our lives.She always attained an excellent medium between teaching the basics and expanding our understanding of science into the realms of contemporary research.Her laboratory exercises were thoughtfully self-designed, blending hypothesis-driven experimentation with independent discovery."

Dr. Pierson developed a Junior Seminar and Senior Thesis program which provides undergraduates the unique opportunity to participate in a research project and work closely with a faculty member.In this program, students review scientific literature for the purpose of learning how to select a research topic, write a detailed proposal for that research, communicate the proposal orally to a group of faculty and peers, and apply for competitive research stipends and/or grants.Students then go on to complete a year of research under the supervision of a faculty research advisor and then present their work at the Undergraduate Research Symposium.The success of this program is evident in the success of her students and is testimony of Dr. Person's excellence and commitment.Five students received the Biology Department's Undergraduate Seminar Best Research Award, five students received the Biology Research Merit Awards, five students received the James R. Slater Phi Sigma Award for Outstanding Achievements in Research and Scholarship, and two received the University of Puget Sound's Undergraduate Science Symposium Outstanding Paper Awards.

Dr. Person's students have gone on to earn Ph.D. and M.D.s, and have entered the bioremediation industry or are university professors or high school teachers.
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Dr. Pierson has been invited to participate in several Council on Undergraduate Research panels, conferences, and meetings.She has continually urged the Council to remain proponents of the mission of encouraging and supporting significant scientific research involving undergraduates at primarily undergraduate institutions.Dr. Pierson's belief is that research is improved by the enthusiasm of the students and doing research is the best way to learn science.

Dr. Pierson was co-nominated by former senior thesis students, Niki Parenteau and Ben Griffin.

Last Modified: February 25, 1999Email: webmaster@asmusa.org

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Beverly Pierson, University of Puget Sound
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Beverly Pierson, University of Puget Sound
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Beverly Pierson, University of Puget Sound
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Beverly Pierson, University of Puget Sound
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Beverly Pierson, University of Puget Sound
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Beverly Pierson, University of Puget Sound

Beverly Pierson, University of Puget Sound

Beverly K. PiersonUniversity of Puget Sound

Science on Tap presents Beverly Pierson, professor emerita of biology at the University of Puget Sound, speaking on ,Extreme Life: Creatures That Breach the Barriers to Our Existence.,

Beverly Pierson, PhDProfessor Emerita, Biology Dept, University of Puget Sound

His parents, Eric and Beverly Pierson, said in an interview in August their son was a role model who firmly believed in the mission he was pursuing in Iraq.Pierson had put his education on hold at the University of Connecticut to join the Marines.His mother said he was looking forward to life as a civilian and planned to resume his studies at UConn.