Biology Leadership Community

BLC 2025 Agenda

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Friday, April 11
 

2:00 PM  Registration Opens                                                                 

2:30 – 3:00 PM  Orientation for Newcomers                                                                                 

3:00 – 4:00 PM  Optional Beach Walk (meet at BLC registration)

                                                            

4:00 – 5:00 PM  Welcome Reception (snacks and drinks)

 

5:00 – 6:30 PM  Welcome to the BLC (opening comments and icebreaker)

 

7:00 PM  Welcome Dinner        

 

 

Saturday, April 12
 

7:30 – 8:30 AM Breakfast                                                                                  

8:30 – 9:30 AM  Keynote Address: Adaptable:  How Your Unique Body Works and Why Our Biology Unites Us 

Herman Pontzer, Duke University

9:30 – 9:40 AM Break

 

9:40 – 10:40 AM  Keynote Debrief/Application 

Paul Bates, University of Minnesota Duluth

 

10:40 – 11:00 AM Break and Book Signing  

(Herman Pontzer)                                                                                                                                                    

 

11:00 – 12:00 PM Workshop 1:  Hands-On AI: Building Custom Chatbots to Support Active Learning

Keefe Reuther, University of California, San Diego

 

12:00 – 1:00 PM Lunch 

 

1:00 – 2:00 PM Workshop 1 continued

 

2:00 – 2:15 Break

 

2:15 – 3:30 PM  Invitation from the Ocean: Using Poetry to Connect with Nature

Rory McCollum, Duke University Marine Lab

 

3:30 – 5:00 PM Free Time

 

5:00 – 7:00 PM  Poster Session: Ideas and Discussion (snacks and drinks/A and B sessions)                                                        

 

7:00 PM Dinner                                                                                                 

 

 
Sunday, April 13
 

7:00 – 8:00 AM Breakfast 

Discussion tables for higher ed impact check-in conversations

8:00 – 9:30 AM Brief But Spectacular 

• Alice Nguyen, UC Santa Barbara: Tailored Messaging for Learning: Supporting Students in Navigating Difficult Concepts

• Gokhan Hacisalihoglu, Jennifer O’Neil, and Cerrone Foster, 2024 Catalytic Grant Winners: Examining the Impact of Integrating GenAI Tools on Engagement and Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs) and GenAI Perceptions in General Biology Courses Across Multiple Campuses

• Katie LaCommare, Natalie Mountjoy, and Judy Nesmith, 2024 Catalytic Grant Winners: Uncovering Student Alternative Knowledge and Using Small Interventions to Dislodge Misconceptions

• Erica Kosal, North Carolina State University: AI-Powered Exploration for Today's Classroom:  Three General Activities to Incorporate into your Course

• Mannie Ramirez, Forsyth Technical Community College: Fail in Front of Your Students

 

9:30 – 9:45 AM Break

 

9:45 – 11:45 AM  Workshop 2:  Beyond Study Strategies: Understanding Student Contextual Awareness and Goals as Drivers of Behavior

Elena Bray Speth, Saint Louis University

 

11:45 – 12:00 PM Wrap-Up/ Boxed Lunches to Go  

 

12:00 – 1:00 PM Mastering Biology Workshop (optional)