Biology Faculty Honored for Student Mentoring

Outstanding faculty mentoring is a cornerstone of a Grinnell College education. Two of the College’s biology faculty have earned the prestigious Council on Undergraduate Research’s Biology Mentor Award for 2022: Professors Shannon Hinsa-Leasure (mid-career award) and Clark Lindgren (advanced-career award).

This national honor recognizes biologists who excel at mentoring undergraduate research students and creating an inclusive research environment. The CUR Biology Mentor Award, which has been presented since 2015, has never before been awarded to two faculty members at the same institution.

“My colleagues and I have been working very hard to provide our students with research experiences both in the classroom and in our labs,” Lindgren says. “I am pleased we are getting recognition for this and am especially gratified to see how much this means to our students, several of whom took the time and effort write letters of support.”

Both Hinsa-Leasure and Lindgren provide supportive yet challenging mentoring that has enabled their students to go on to fantastic postgraduate careers. Their nomination packages included compelling letters from alumni who spoke to the impact of this guidance.

Besides their remarkable student mentoring, both faculty members have exceeded expectations in other areas as well. Lindgren, who is also the Patricia A. Johnson Professor of Neuroscience, co-developed and disseminated BIO150, Introduction to Biological Inquiry, and worked with the Liberal Arts in Prison program. Hinsa-Leasure offered thoughtful and deliberate mentoring to underrepresented students to help them navigate bias in the scientific community. She also collaborated with students on community-engaged projects.

Congratulations to both of these dedicated student mentors and educators!