Dr. Kelly Lane-deGraaf, Fontbonne University biological and physical sciences professor, has earned the Academy of Science – St. Louis 2020 Outstanding Science Educator Award, which recognizes a distinguished individual on the basis of significant contributions to science education or to the public understanding of science, engineering or technology.
In addition to creatively engaging with students and promoting inclusion and diversity in science, Lane-deGraaf’s accomplishments include developing the Fontbonne senior capstone course in the sciences, which enables nearly every student majoring in biology to graduate as a co-author of a manuscript in review. She also mentors undergraduate students in bench and field research experiences in disease ecology, where her work primarily examines how institutional racism has shaped wildlife population dynamics in urban raccoon populations.
Many Outstanding St. Louis Scientist Award winners also have a record of communicating with the public, mentoring colleagues, and demonstrating leadership in the field of science or industry. Committed to advocating for women in science, Lane-deGraaf created ‘Girls in Science,’ a free program that has trained more than 200 middle school girls in chemistry, biology, physics and ecology since 2015. Demonstrating her commitment to undergraduate education, Lane-deGraaf also co-authored an undergraduate textbook, An Introduction to One Health: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Planetary Health.
Outstanding St. Louis Scientist Awards will be presented at the Missouri Botanical Garden during the Academy of Science – St. Louis Scientists Awards Dinner Thursday, April 2. To learn more, visit https://www.academyofsciencestl.org/awards/.
