Biology may focus on the basic elements of life on Earth, but that hasn’t stopped the Biology Department’s Danielle G. Taghian from occasionally turning to outer space.
The assistant professor of the practice even hosted NASA’s Thomas Marshburn, M.D., via Skype for a discussion with her students about the effects of life in space on the human body.
“NASA will give you an astronaut for an hour and Dr. Marshburn is a physician who has done space walks and Space Station assignments—he’s a fascinating scientist who helped us explore issues in physiology,” says Taghian.
Taghian, whose skills as a teacher are matched by her commitment as a mentor and advisor, is this year’s recipient of the Phi Beta Kappa Teaching Award, selected annually by Boston College students in the prestigious honors society.
Each year, Phi Beta Kappa students submit nominations for outstanding teachers who have positively influenced their experiences at BC, either inside or outside the classroom. Faculty are selected for the award based on the cumulative nominations from students over multiple years.
A faculty member since 2002, Taghian says she draws inspiration from her students, many of whom she works with from freshman year through graduation.
“This is the highest honor in my career as a teacher,” she says of the award. “I want to thank the students. It has always been about them. I meet them when they are just out of high school and work to help get them through their senior year. It is an experience for me, too.”
Taghian teaches Cancer Biology, Molecules and Cells, Molecular and Cellular Exercise Physiology and the Honors Thesis Seminar. In the past, she has taught Molecular and Cellular Biology, Developmental Biology, Mammalian Cell Culture and labs in Genetics.
Early in her career, Taghian conducted research into DNA recombination and repair mechanisms and the response of human cancers to ionizing radiation. She decided to focus strictly on teaching prior to her arrival at BC.
“Teaching is a lot of fun for me,” says Taghian, who earned her PhD at Harvard University. “It’s about the connections you make with students inside and outside of class, helping them get where they want to be or find out where their passions lie. That is the thrill of it.”
Students praised Taghian for her subject mastery and carefully crafted lectures and labs that emphasize the application of critical thinking skills to complex problems in the discipline and its topics.
“She has been the best professor I have had at Boston College,” said one student nominator.
Said another student: “Dr. Taghian is a wonderful biology professor who has inspired my desire to seek a career in oncology. Thanks to her, I will be conducting cancer research at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center/Harvard Medical School for the next two years and hope to then continue on to medical school in hopes of becoming an oncologist.”
“I didn’t go to BC, but my family tells me I bleed maroon and gold,” says Taghian, who earned her undergraduate degree from Tufts University. “The student body is unreal at BC. They are very special and very different than students at many of the best universities in the country. I am the one who is privileged to teach them.”
By Ed Hayward | News & Public Affairs