Carol B. Email and Phone Number

Carol B. is a Professor Emeritus of Biological Sciences (Ecology) at Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana. Colleagues describe her as "I have known Carol Brewer ever since she came to the University of Montana as a new assistant professor who took on the impossible task of a joint appointment between the education and biology departments. But with remarkable energy, innovation and dedication she excelled in both arenas, that of science education as well as a research program in plant physiological ecology. Not afraid to think big, but also realistic and attentive to details, Carol Brewer is an extraordinarily effective leader in science education and ecological research. With large grants from both the HHMI and the NSF she changed the face of undergraduate and graduate education in biology at U of Mt. She revamped introductory biology with more faculty involved and with students more stimulated and engaged with hands-on interactive research experiences. She created a course for biology graduate students to actually learn and think about how to teach, something that has long been surprisingly lacking in the training of future professors, and she later initiated a partnership with local schools to get science graduate students engaged in pre-university teaching as well – a mutually beneficial experience. Carol has a very large family of dedicated former students who retain a respect, admiration and affection for her that may be the greatest testament to her effectiveness as a teacher, mentor and caring human being. Her clear, compelling, innovative thinking and effectiveness in communicating with and organizing other people was rewarded by invitations to serve on or direct one national task force after another. She thus took center stage nationally in focusing attention on the need for reform in our approaches to teaching biology through her work on panels of experts at the National Science Foundation, the National Academy of Sciences, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and as vice president for education of the Ecological Society of America. She took on the challenge of working on the development of the huge NEON (National Ecological Observatory Network) project at NSF where, among other contributions, she championed the citizen scientist concept that has taken off and spread across the nation in many other research programs. Having been at NSF myself during part of that time I know that the Board of Advisors to the Biology Directorate was especially impressed with the educational aspects of NEON, thanks in large part to Carol’s contributions. As Associate Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences her effectiveness in working with people, formulating visions for the future, realistic strategic plans and advancing the causes of students and educational reform again found impressive expression. Her experiences in administration, research, teaching, grant acquisition and review make her an invaluable consultant in a variety of contexts. If you want the best consultant in science education, you ‘ll find it in Carol Brewer."