The natural history of UCSC life sciences majors with Professor John Tamkun

Thursday, January 12th 12:00-1:00pm, Biomed 300 Host: Professor Manny Ares

Description: I will present the results of a longitudinal study for a large cohort of undergraduates interested in the life sciences who entered UCSC as freshmen in the fall of 2012. I will describe the academic challenges faced by these students, including factors affecting their retention and timely graduation, with a focus on traditionally underrepresented groups in STEM fields. Approaches for identifying and assisting at-risk students in a large introductory biology course will also be discussed.

Bio: I joined the Department of MCD Biology at UCSC in 1989 after completing my graduate and postdoctoral training at MIT and the University of Colorado, Boulder. For the past twenty-five years, my research has been focused on the role of chromatin structure in eukaryotic gene expression and epigenetic inheritance. I have taught Biology 20A, a large introductory biology course, since 1996. I became interested in educational policy and academic data analysis while serving as the chair of my department and the UCSC Academic Senate Committees on Admissions and Financial Aid and Educational Policy.