Aimée K. Thomas, Ph.D.
University Senate Award: Teaching

During the past year, Dr. Thomas has assumed the new position as the Assistant Director of the Office of Teacher Certification.  She has also developed and taught two new courses at Loyola, BioInquiry, a course designed to engage first-semester Biology students in the process of scientific inquiry, and Secondary Methods II: Science, a course designed to develop the skills necessary for effective teaching in a science secondary school classroom and laboratory.  She also received two Loyola grants to improve teaching, a Bobet Fellowship to attend the Howard Hughes Medical Institute funded National Academies workshop in the Life Sciences and a Strength in Diversity grant to host Late Nights at Loyola, a STEM education opportunity for students who attend Anna’s Arts for kids in Treme.  Dr. Thomas also co-published an article about innovative uses for old teaching lab supplies/specimens in American Biology Teacher and gave five presentations at national meetings about the Naturalist Professional Development Workshop she developed for an NSF-funded grant. 

In addition, Dr. Thomas has mentored three students (Brooke Bullock, Michael Pashkevich and Melanie Sferrazza) with their research, ranging from insects as pollinators in urban parks to spider communities in Jean Lafitte National Park, Barataria Unit.  She also spent the year teaching a diverse group of courses ranging from biology courses (Biology of Organisms Lab, BioInquiry) to environment courses (Foundations in Environmental Studies, Evolution, Tropical Ecology in Belize), a common curriculum course (Investigating Nature) and a teacher certification course (Secondary Methods II: Science). And finally, she served as the faculty advisor for the Natural History Club, a student-led group whose purpose is to gather Loyola students, faculty and staff who have a broad interest in the natural history of southeast Louisiana.