Biological Imperative

Anne Cusic Scholarship Established in College of Arts and Sciences

The Anne Moreland Cusic Endowed Scholarship to support students in the Department of Biology in the College of Arts and Sciences at UAB honors Anne Cusic, Ph.D., and the instrumental role she continues to play in the development and success of her students and others she has influenced throughout her life and career.

Cusic, currently an associate professor in the UAB Department of Biology, earned her bachelor’s degree in biology from UAB in 1973, her master’s degree in biology from Samford University in 1977, and her doctorate in biology from UAB in 1984. She received the President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching for the School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics in both 1995 and 2005, and the Ellen Gregg Ingalls/UAB National Alumni Society Excellence in Classroom Teaching Award in 1999. She also was selected by the provost’s office to be one of six instructors from UAB to serve as a master teacher.

Cusic also worked for many years as an assistant biologist and associate biologist at Southern Research Institute, where she conducted chemotherapy research. She has been active in the Alabama Academy of Science, serving as president and chair of the research and membership committees. She currently serves as trustee of the organization and was recently elected as a fellow of the academy.

“Dr. Cusic is by any measure one of the most successful teachers on UAB’s campus,” says Robert Fischer, Ph.D., chair of the Department of Biology. “Anne has the ability to interest and captivate students and the rare quality of being able to say the right thing at the right time to get her point across, which makes her one of those instructors that her students will remember fondly for the rest of their lives.”

Maintaining the Momentum / Summer 2011