PHILADELPHIA Jamie Shuda, EdD, director of life science outreach at the University of Pennsylvania's Institute for Regenerative Medicine (IRM), and coordinator of life science education at the Netter Center for Community Partnerships also at Penn, along with Steve Farber, PhD, Investigator, Embryology Department, Carnegie Institution for Science, Baltimore, have been awarded the Hamburger Outstanding Educator Prize from the Society for Developmental Biology (SBD).

Shuda and Farber run Project BioEYES, a K-12 science education program that provides classroom-based, hands-on learning using live zebrafish to teach about how cells and animals develop. The program is located within the Perelman School of Medicine, Penn; the Carnegie Institution; Notre Dame University in South Bend, IN; and Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, among others, and reaches over 9,000 students per year.

"I am honored that the Society for Developmental Biology has chosen me and Dr. Farber as the 2012 recipients of the Viktor Hamburger prize," says Shuda. "Project BioEYES exemplifies how scientists and educators can come together to teach cutting edge, exciting science to students of all ages. Collaboration across disciplines is greatly supported by Penn and the IRM and it is wonderful that the university is being recognized for their public engagement. Viktor Hamburger was a pioneer in both science and teaching and I hope our education programs inspire more scientists just like him."

With over 10 years of experience in public education, Dr. Shuda has worked with teachers, students, and university staff to develop innovative science curricula. Her research focuses on the role informal science education plays in developing an effective science curriculum in K-12 schools and the characteristics of successful university and community partnerships to enhance science education at the undergraduate level. At the University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Shuda teaches Stem Cell Science in Schools: History, Ethics, and Education, which provides university and high school students with the opportunity to learn the science of stem cells while becoming deeply engaged with social and ethical issues relevant to everyday life. Dr. Shuda holds an MS.Ed and teaching certification from Drexel University and an Ed.D in education policy from Temple University.

Established in 2002 by the SDB Board of Directors in honor of Dr. Viktor Hamburger and sponsored by the Professional Development and Education Committee, this Hamburger award recognizes individuals who have made outstanding contributions to developmental biology education. The recipients deliver a lecture at the Education Symposium of the SDB Annual Meetings.

Penn's Perelman School of Medicine is currently ranked #2 in U.S. News & World Report's survey of research-oriented medical schools and among the top 10 schools for primary care. The School is consistently among the nation's top recipients of funding from the National Institutes of Health, with $507.6 million awarded in the 2010 fiscal year.

The University of Pennsylvania Health System's patient care facilities include: The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania -- recognized as one of the nation's top 10 hospitals by U.S. News & World Report; Penn Presbyterian Medical Center; and Pennsylvania Hospital the nation's first hospital, founded in 1751. Penn Medicine also includes additional patient care facilities and services throughout the Philadelphia region.

Penn Medicine is committed to improving lives and health through a variety of community-based programs and activities. In fiscal year 2010, Penn Medicine provided $788 million to benefit our community.

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Penn Medicine Science Educator Recognized by Society for Developmental Biology

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