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Dr. Handelsman is a professor in the Departments of Bacteriology and Plant Pathology at the University of Wisconsin (UW)–Madison. She received a B.S. in agronomy from Cornell University and a Ph.D. in molecular biology from UW–Madison. Dr. Handelsman combines a large research program on the structure and function of microbial communities with a deep commitment to innovation and rigor in undergraduate education. She has received the Chancellor’s University Teaching Award at UW–Madison and the Jung Teaching Award, and, in 2002, she was named Clark Lecturer in Soil Biology. She is the director of the Wisconsin Program for Scientific Teaching and cochair of the HHMI-National Academies Summer Institute on Undergraduate Education in Biology. In late 2007 she will assume responsibilities as chair of the Department of Bacteriology at UW–Madison. Dr. Handelsman has been active in achieving equity for women and minorities on campus, for which she was recognized in 1998 with the Cabinet 99 Recognition Award and, in 2006, the YWCA Woman of Distinction Award. She contributed to the inception of the Women in Science and Engineering residence hall; chaired the provost’s Climate Working Group, an initiative dedicated to improving the campus climate for women and people of color; and, through a National Science Foundation grant, established, along with others, the Women in Science and Engineering Leadership Institute. In 2003 she became a fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology, and, in 2004, she was named a National Academies Education Mentor in the Life Sciences. She served on the panel that authored the 2006 NAS report, "Beyond Bias and Barriers: Fulfilling the Potential of Women in Academic Science and Engineering," and she cochaired the NAS panel that authored the forthcoming report on metagenomics, "The New Science of Metagenomics: Deciphering the Secrets of the Microbial Planet." Dr. Handelsman has coauthored several books on teaching, including the guidebook Entering Mentoring to train science mentors; Scientific Teaching, a guide to teaching in a scientific manner; and Biology Brought to Life, about inquiry-based biology teaching. She has also published numerous articles on education policy issues in Science, the Journal of Women's Health, Cell Biology Education, and other journals.
RESEARCH ABSTRACT SUMMARY:
Jo Handelsman studies the communication networks of microbial communities. Her HHMI project involves initiatives to improve research experiences for undergraduates, including those from groups underrepresented in the sciences; to train biologists to teach and mentor with the same rigor they apply to research; and to develop materials that engage students actively in learning biology.
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Photo: Courtesy of University of Wisconsin–Madison
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