NC State has announced that the Research PackTrack Program – A High-Impact Experience for Authentic Research is the winner of the Provost’s Award for High-Impact Experiential Learning, and will be honored at the University Teaching Awards on April 17.
Research PackTrack is a two-semester credit-bearing course-based undergraduate research experience that provides innovative pedagogy to prepare students for an authentic research experience. The program is administered by Miriam Ferzli, teaching professor, Lisa Paciulli, senior lecturer, and Pat Estes, associate research professor, all of the Department of Biological Sciences.
“We are incredibly fortunate to have such talented faculty who are committed to providing excellent experiential education to our students,” said Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Warwick Arden. “I want to congratulate Research PackTrack and acknowledge how the program is shaping undergraduate research at NC State.”
The Provost’s Award for Excellence in Teaching has been reimagined to recognize excellence in the development, delivery, accessibility and outcomes of high-impact and interdisciplinary experiences that engage students, including undergraduate, graduate and professional populations.
High-impact experiences, a key focus of Packways: Learning by Doing, NC State’s 2024-2029 Quality Enhancement Plan, are defined by several criteria: they consistently engage participants at a deep level; they offer formal or informal mentoring and opportunities for collaborative work; they prioritize access, belonging and wellbeing throughout; they require students to critically reflect on, discuss, connect and apply new skills, knowledge and perspectives; and they provide reflective or public opportunities for students to demonstrate how these experiences have helped them integrate and apply their learning to real-world problems and their own lives.
The Provost’s Award for High-Impact Experiential Learning is designed to recognize and support the growth and delivery of exceptional programs that offer such experiences. Selected programs will receive a monetary grant of $12,500 to support further development. An honorable mention was awarded to the NC State Biotechnology (BIT) Program. BIT provides state-of-the-art, laboratory-based education in molecular biotechnology to NC State undergraduate and graduate students as well as to faculty, staff and life science professionals in the RTP area. The program is led by Robert Kelly, Alcoa Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, and includes Carlos Goller, teaching professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, Melissa Srougi, associate teaching professor in the Department of Molecular Biomedical Sciences, and Stefanie Chen, associate teaching professor in the Department of Biological Sciences.
