Emory professor of practice emerita Patricia Marsteller receives presidential award for mentoring

By April Hunt Jan. 23, 2025

Patricia Marsteller has received the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring.

Patricia Marsteller — the former Emory College associate dean of undergraduate research and professor of practice emerita in the Department of Biology — has received the nation’s highest honor for mentors in science and technology.

Marsteller, who retired in 2020 after a 30-year career, is among 25 recipients of the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring (PAESMEM). The National Science Foundation manages the award, which comes with $10,000.

“Dr. Marsteller's legacy at Emory College is unparalleled,” says Emory College Dean Barbara Krauthamer. “Her tireless advocacy for underrepresented students and groundbreaking programs have left an indelible mark on our institution and the field of STEM education.”

The recognition for excellence in shaping the next generation of innovators and scientists, especially from underrepresented groups, is the latest in a string of national honors for Marsteller as a fierce and early advocate for undergraduate science research.

Hired in 1990 as the first director of the Emory Howard Hughes Medical Institute Initiative (HHMI), Marsteller’s role officially centered on drawing more underrepresented students to the natural sciences.

She had a hand in bringing seven HHMI grants to Emory and launched programs that connected underrepresented first-year students interested in studying science and health with faculty and existing students. Those programs continue as STEM Pathways today, drawing about 75 students each year.

Marsteller also served nearly two decades as director of the former Emory College Center for Science Education, where she was especially influential in developing and promoting student research and mentoring programs that have become a hallmark of Emory’s undergraduate education.

After becoming an elected fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in 2014, she served as chair of the AAAS Section on Education from 2018-2021.

Her initiatives supported not only students from underrepresented groups but also other Emory students who now thrive in medicine, science, teaching and more.

Among them is Daniel “Danny” Shoy, who went from Marsteller’s mentee to a partner on science funding in his role at the Arthur Blank Foundation.

In a 2020 interview, Shoy said while Emory committed to becoming an education destination for all, “Pat brings that commitment to life.”

Marsteller has remained active in that work since retirement. She works with faculty nationally as part of the BioQUEST curriculum consortium, encouraging innovation in STEM education.

She is helping to create an Open Education Resource (to be named Pathways to Accelerating Social Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in STEM) for undergraduate educators.

Her mentorship activity includes work with the Atlanta Society for Mentors and national groups, teaching a wide variety of topics in workshops that use of role play, presentations, reflection and discussion to promote community.

She also volunteers with African Research Academies for Women, a nonprofit that provides hands-on research for women in STEM fields in Africa. Kwadwo “Kojo” Sarpong, a 2015 Emory College graduate whom Marsteller mentored, launched the group in 2014.

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