Samiksha Raut, Ph.D.Samiksha Raut, Ph.D., associate professor in the University of Alabama at Birmingham Department of Biology, has been selected as the recipient of the 2022 research award for Outstanding Faculty Contributions to Service-Learning in Higher Education by the Gulf-South Summit.
This award, given annually at the Gulf-South Summit on Service-Learning and Civic Engagement through Higher Education, distinguishes outstanding contributors to service-learning, with Raut’s commitment to research and immersing undergraduates in projects and published research being recognized.
“I’m honored to have received this award, and I owe this to the dedication of my students who have worked tirelessly and are truly passionate about service-learning,” Raut said. “So much of my motivation to publish research and further service-learning projects has been from fellowship opportunities offered by UAB’s Office of Service Learning and Undergraduate Research, and through sponsored programs like the Faculty Success Program offered by UAB’s Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. With UAB’s strong commitment toward community engagement, I only feel fortunate to keep moving this needle ahead.”
Raut instructs majors and non-majors’ biology courses in UAB’s College of Arts and Sciences, with her teaching philosophy rooted in merging the realms of scientific teaching and high-impact practices like service-learning. An academic passion of Raut’s is addressing misinformation against science by immersing non-major students in service-learning modules by embracing a theme-based approach to her teaching. This is critically important for this population of the students who exclusively rely on completing one or two science courses to develop their scientific literacy.
Furthermore, Raut and her research team have explored the impacts of many cutting-edge topics, like climate change, COVID-19 safety measures, COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and opioid addiction, in the light of service-learning.
The mission of the Gulf-South Summit on Service-Learning and Civic Engagement through Higher Education is to promote networking among practitioners, research, ethical practices, reciprocal campus-community partnerships, sustainable programs, and a culture of engagement and public awareness through service-learning and other forms of civic engagement. The summit is being held virtually in 2022 from March 23-25.