The WSU College of Education has named Andy Cavagnetto as a Boeing Distinguished Professor of STEM Education for this academic year.
Cavagnetto has for years been interested in the construction and critique of argument as students pose questions, gather data, and negotiate evidence-based claims. He was the co-chair of the international Argument-Based Inquiry Conference in 2015.
Long recognized as a consistent collaborator with other colleges, Cavagnetto intends to use this new status to collaborate even more, specifically citing work with Erika Offerdahl and William Davis from the School of Molecular Biosciences.
“I’m excited to work with colleagues from across campus, as well as connect my college and my research with researchers from outside WSU,” Cavagnetto said.
Cavagnetto said the professorship will also allow him to employ undergraduate students during the academic year as research assistants, as well as graduate students during the summer months.
The project Cavagnetto will be especially focused on improving large biology course lectures.
“We hope to develop an approach to integrate more data analysis and communication and critique of interpretations within the lecture sessions,” Cavagnetto said.
Cavagnetto is the second and final individual the college will announce. The college previously announced that Sola Adesope had also been awarded this professorship.