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Biology Lecturer is UF Adviser of the Year!

Dr. Teresa Mutahi, UF 2019-20 Faculty Adviser of the Year

Dr. Teresa Mutahi is the University of Florida 2019-20 Faculty Adviser of the Year, the university’s highest honor for undergraduate advising. The award recognizes innovation, professional engagement and outreach in undergraduate advising.

Dr. Mutahi is a lecturer in Biology and the Undergraduate Coordinator for the Biology Major. Her office advises roughly 2600 students annually (a 70 percent increase in the past 10 years). Since coming to UF in 2017, Dr. Mutahi has coordinated two research projects to improve undergraduate advising. In the first she analyzed alumni data to determine where our Biology majors find employment. About 57 percent had positions in the medical professions and the rest in a very wide range of fields including law, government and industry. These data are being used to assist students in developing successful career paths using their Biology degrees. In the second study, Dr. Mutahi analyzed students’ performance on the ETS Biology Major Field Test, an exit exam given to all Biology students.

This study found worrisome differences in performance among some groups of students, leading Dr. Mutahi to institute new measures, including creation of a transfer student organization to better support these students. These innovations strengthen our Biology major and help our students find success in rewarding careers.

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