Abstract 1453 End "Big Brain" Tyranny: Individuality as Your Scientific Superpower

I am deeply honored and humbled to be selected as the recipient of ASBMB's William C. Rose Award for Exemplary Contributions to Education. However, truth be told I am merely one of the most visible members of the large community of scientist-educators that have propelled ASBMB into a position of leadership in biochemistry and molecular biology BMB education. Indeed, this honor is more reflective of the influence of the ASBMB scientist-educator community on me than the other way around. Nonetheless, I am extremely proud of what we have accomplished together, in particular the establishment of the ASBMB Accreditation Program for Baccalaureate degrees in Biochemistry & Molecular Biology and its associated assessment examination. My first take home lesson is to point out how working with a major national society provided the infrastructure and imprimatur to connect members together into a viable grass roots movement and subsequently amplify our collective voices. Accreditation and other programs exemplify the value of becoming a member of ASBMB as well as one of the tangible returns we receive for our dues. Second, I would also like to take this opportunity to speak to the many students who will be in attendance. My message is this. There are as many paths to scientific discovery and other major contributions to our discipline as there are people in the room. Despite our best efforts, all too often we, your teachers, default to a vision of a "successful" scientist that is remarkably one-dimensional: a "brilliant" man in a white lab coat wearing thick glasses standing underneath a cloud displaying a light bulb. The fact of the matter is that scientific discovery is most often the product of observation and curiosity, as well as hard work, rather than a momentary flash of insight. The things we notice, the questions we ask, and the commitment to pursue them are all highly personal in nature. In other words, the seeds for "success" reside, not so much in our IQ as in the unique nature of our individual perspectives and experience. This multi-dimensional and accomplishment-based perspective on success offers educators an affirming, but very genuine, mechanism for fostering engagement among every student in our classrooms. It also challenges scientist-educators to develop approaches to teaching and learning that both explore and celebrate our students' individuality while still providing them with a solid foundation of knowledge and skills. This includes developing assessments that go beyond measuring the capacity to memorize and retrieve information, that focus on completing tasks rather than accumulating partial credit. While I cannot offer a magic bullet to place us on this path, I have witnessed the benefits of replacing "GPA is destiny" with a positive and affirming definition of success under which each and every student perceives a path of their own. Try it. You'll like it. The activities described reflect the financial contributions of the ASBMB, NSF, and Teagle Foundation.