Luanna Prevost Ph.D.

Associate Professor
Department of Integrative Biology
University of South Florida

I am a biology education research with a background in plant ecology. My research focuses on the assessment of student learning, faculty professional development, and institutional change in STEM education. I am also interested in improving ecology education through multidimensional instruction and assessment and by creating spaces where students from diverse populations can feel like they belong in ecology. I currently serve as Chair of the 4DEE Subcommittee of the Ecological Society of America and on member of the Steering Committee of the NSF RCN-UBE on Transforming Ecology Education to 4D.

Tiffany Shemwell

Ph.D. candidate

I am a doctoral student in the Department of Integrative Biology with a background in cell and molecular biology. I have 7+ years experience teaching a variety of courses here at USF. I joined Dr. Prevost’s laboratory in 2019 with a passion for helping students learn. My dissertation research is focused on investigating student understanding of structure and function relationships at micro and macroscopic scales and how they are applied across biological contexts.

Maria Clemencia Ceron Castilla

Ph.D. student

I graduated with a B.S. in Microbiology from Universidad de Los Andes in my native Colombia, I was a Smithsonian Environmental Research Center Intern, and I hold an M.S. in Resources Management in the Tropics from Cologne University of Applied Sciences in Germany.
I have worked with International Cooperation as well as environmental Non-Governmental Organizations in Latin America. I have been an instructor for more than 6+ years, and l love teaching.
I am a Ph.D. Graduate student. In 2021, I joined Dr. Prevost's Laboratory, where we do discipline-based education research. My interests include innovative approaches to ecology education, as well as community engagement, and approaches to coastal landscape management/restoration. Currently, I am working with ESA SEEDS Program. This is a joint initiative with the Ecological Society of America (ESA), to understand the perceptions and impacts of their activities for the next generation of ecologists.