Katayoun Chamany is an Associate Professor of Biology and the founder of the Interdisciplinary Science program, of Eugene Lang College, The New School for Liberal Arts. Trained as a geneticist and cell biologist, she combines methods from case study teaching and problem based learning to develop modules that center on contemporary real world problems that require a deep understanding of basic science. She received her Ph.D. in Molecular and Cell Biology at the University of California, Berkeley in 1996.

Katayoun is the recipient of the Distinguished University Teaching Award, serves as an ad-hoc reviewer for the National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science and Life Sciences Education and is an active member of the Faculty for the 21st Century of Project Kaleidoscope, a national organization focused on undergraduate science education reform. As a SENCER Leadership Fellow for Science for New Civic Engagements and Social Responsibilities, she has designed course content on stem cell research and tied this curriculum to the work of the New York Stem Cell Foundation, where she serves as Advisor of Education and Outreach.

Katayoun’s research interests span curriculum development, assessment of student learning outcomes in biology using case based teaching and learning, and public perception of new biotechnologies in genomics and infectious diseases. Her work has been published in Life Sciences Education and The Journal of College Science Teaching. Her modules from Cell Biology for Life and her case studies in the Case Collection of the National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science have been adapted by faculty teaching students at all levels of biology. If you are interested in joining the collaborative effort in assessing student learning outcomes using the Cell Biology for Life modules, please email chamanyk@newschool.edu.

Presentations:

Chamany K., Allen, D., and Tanner, K. Fall 2008. “ Making Biology Learning Relevant toStudents: Integrating People, History, and Context into (College)Biology Teaching. Life Sciences Education. (7):267-278.

Chmanany, K. and Allen, D. 2004. “ Using Science Case Studies to Teach Cell Biology. “In the Education Session titled Clickers and Case Studies: Alternativesto Lectures in the Undergraduate Classroom. The American Society forCell Biology National Meeting. Washington, DC. December 4.