By Anna Mayor, College of Arts and Sciences
Luanna Prevost, an associate professor in the Department of Integrative Biology, has received the Ecological Society of America鈥檚 (ESA) 2025 Eugene P. Odum Award for Excellence in Ecology Education.
Prevost鈥檚 research focuses on improving biology and ecology education by examining student understanding and faculty teaching practices. Her work explores how students think about key concepts through writing and how faculty adopt evidence-based approaches such as active and community-engaged learning.
鈥淓ducating young minds in the ecological sciences has been a passion of mine for years,鈥� Prevost said.
鈥淚t is important for me to study both faculty practices and student learning because they are intricately connected,鈥� Prevost said. 鈥淗ow we teach impacts student learning and engagement.鈥�
Prevost leads several faculty development initiatives, including mentoring networks and ecology education workshops at ESA conferences, and works to broaden participation in STEM through the UNIDE network, USF鈥檚 National Science Foundation Scholarships in STEM program and the ESA鈥檚 SEEDS program. She also provides learning opportunities for high school teachers and students through the Amgen Biotech Experience Tampa and biodiversity field programs.
She has been at the forefront of the ESA鈥檚 recent efforts to transform ecology education, serving as a founding member and chair of the ESA鈥檚 4DEE subcommittee鈥攑romoting the use of the Four-Dimensional Ecology Education framework in undergraduate ecology courses鈥攁nd as a member of the ESA education committee.
鈥淭hrough her dedication and extensive work 鈥� from organizing conference sessions to mentoring and publishing on student learning 鈥� she exemplifies all the qualities of an Odum Award recipient,鈥� the ESA said in its press release.
鈥淓ducating young minds in the ecological sciences has been a passion of mine for years,鈥� Prevost said. 鈥淚鈥檓 proud to have contributed to advancing a new framework for ecology education and to have collaborated with USF faculty to share innovative teaching practices that improve student learning in STEM.鈥�