At first glance, it may seem odd that I attended a conference on science teaching; especially since I am a doctoral student in the Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biophysics. Yet for me, this was an opportunity to network with and present my work to my professional peers. You see I am one of several graduate students across the nation who has chosen to pursue a slightly different graduate career. Instead of spending my graduate school days (and nights) at a lab bench investigating unique biochemical phenomena, my laboratory is the classroom. My dissertation work has focused on the empirical study of teaching and learning of biochemistry at the University of Arizona. My work was funded by the same Howard Hughes Medical Institute grant that supports UBRP (HHMI 52005889). And finally, after years of investigation, I was able to present my findings to the greater science education research community.

The purpose of my research was to investigate how university faculty members develop as instructors. I was curious about how instructors think about teaching, students, and learning and how to support instructors in developing their thoughts. My study focused on traditional biochemistry faculty members for over two years. Our findings suggested that faculty grow as instructors through (1) experimentation with new assessment strategies, (2) interactions with a knowledgeable other, and (3) by capitalizing on pedagogical dissatisfaction. These findings are important because they can inform the creation of future professional development opportunities for science instructors in higher education.

Attending this conference was an amazing opportunity for me. My paper was accepted as one talk of four in a session entitled "College Science Faculty Development." When it was my turn to present, I was nervous and surprised to realize that three prominent researchers from my field were sitting in the audience. Afterward, two of the three congratulated me on my work. I was so excited to meet them in person, but I was completely tongue-tied. After all, I had been admiring their work for the better portion of my graduate career! I managed to spit out a few words of thanks before I abruptly began gushing on and on about their work. It was surreal to talk to internationally recognized researchers face-to-face as a colleague. Unfortunately, it wasn't until later that evening at dinner that I realized I had forgotten to ask them some questions I have had for months!! Regardless, if I had not received funding from this grant, I would not have been able to network with these trendsetters in the field. Thank you to HHMI for funding the UBRP program and other research endeavors like mine. It is important for the growth of the greater body of scientific knowledge, yes, but also influences the personal growth of so many young scholars like me.

Erika Offerdahl, doctoral student, Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics. Erika received her PhD at UA's 2008 Spring Commencement and is now an assistant professor at North Dakota State University.