November 16, 2007 – Montana Tech, Butte, MT
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education have named Marisa Pedulla of Montana Tech the 2007 Montana Professor of the Year. Pedulla was selected from more than 300 top professors in the United States. Marisa Pedulla is an assistant professor in Montana Tech’s biology program.

Pedulla believes that there are different ways to teach science. You can teach students about discoveries made by others, or you can allow the students to make their own discoveries. Marisa chooses the latter approach. After joining the biology faculty at Montana Tech in 2005, Marisa immediately began a program that takes the discovery of science to students not only in her labs, but all over the state of Montana. Marisa uses bacteriophages, tiny viruses that infect bacteria, to take discovery to students. Theses viruses can be isolated from environmental soil and water samples using introductory microbiological techniques that are traceable to high school, middle school, and even grade school students. Through this program students are able to discover unique bacteriophages all on their own.

This program is not only successful in teaching science, but also in collaborating research between professor, undergraduate student, and high school students. All three of these entities get to enjoy the process of discovery and the exhilaration of discovering phages for the first time. Since beginning this work, the biology department at Montana Tech has seen significant growth.

“Students are able to jump in and start science at early stages in their academic career. The can do significant work early in college and high school and that gets them hooked,” said Pedulla.

CASE and the Carnegie Foundation have been partners in offering Professors of the Year since 1981. TIAA-CREF, one of America's leading financial services organizations and higher education's premier retirement system, became the primary sponsor for the awards ceremony in 2000. Additional support for the program is received from a number of higher education associations, including Phi Beta Kappa.

The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching was founded in 1905 by Andrew Carnegie “to do all things necessary to encourage, uphold and dignify the profession of teaching.” The foundation is the only advanced-study center for teachers in the world and the third-oldest foundation in the nation. Its nonprofit research activities are conducted by a small group of distinguished scholars.

The Council for Advancement and Support of Education is the largest international association of education institutions, serving more than 3,300 universities, colleges, schools, and related organizations in 55 countries. CASE is the leading resource for professional development, information, and standards in the fields of educational fundraising, communications, marketing and alumni relations.

###