One of the pleasures of being president of HAPS is the opportunity to present the President's medal to a HAPS member who has provided exemplary service to the organization. The 2012 medal was presented by President Don Kelly to. . . 

Tom Lancraft                     

This year, I had the pleasure of awarding the HAPS President's Medal to Tom Lancraft at our Annual Meeting Banquet in Tulsa.  Choosing a recipient for this award is one of the president's toughest duties, since we have so many talented, supportive members, but Tom's contributions to HAPS made him the clear choice for me. 

Tom has been a HAPS member for nearly 20 years and has served on several committees, including the Web and Technology Committee.  His most important contributions have been in keeping our organization current with the latest innovations in using technology to educate and inform our members.  Tom serves HAPS as Web Editor and has played a critical role in the development, maintenance and redesign of the HAPS website.  He's also been out front when it comes to using the web in teaching.  He was among the first to use online and blended delivery of content in anatomy and physiology, developed multimedia tools for instructional use, and is the principal author of HAPS's position statement on distributed learning.  As Course Design and Learning Coordinator for HAPS-Institute, Tom has played a critical role in HAPS-I course development and presentation.  In addition, Tom has taught courses for HAPS-I on the use of technology in teaching and has presented workshops on the use of technology at annual and regional conferences.

Active member, dedicated Steering Committee member, and ambassador to our new members: Tom Lancraft epitomizes HAPS spirit of friendship, contribution and collegiality.  Please join me, the HAPS Board of Directors, and all who have come to know Tom in congratulating him for this award!

The Partnership for Undergraduate Life Sciences Education (PULSE) program has selected HAPS member Dr. Jenny L. McFarland at Edmonds Community College to serve as one of 40 Vision and Change Leadership Fellows. If you attended the 2012 Tulsa annual conference, you may remember Jenny's poster and workshop (with Ann Wright) on misconceptions associated with core principles of physiology, such as homeostasis.

The PULSE program is a joint initiative of the National Science Foundation (NSF), Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI), and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). In 2006, NSF initiated a multi-year conversation with the scientific community, with assistance from the American Association for the Advancement of Science, NIH, and HHMI,  that resulted in the 2011 report, Vision and Change in Undergraduate Biology Education: A Call to Action. The report recognized that a 21st century education requires changes to how biology is taught, how academic departments support faculty, and how curricular decisions are made. 

The PULSE fellows will stimulate systemic change in undergraduate life science education by focusing on strategies that drive institutional change. Because a change in institutional culture is necessary, PULSE activities are focused on academic departments and not individual faculty members.

HAPS members are encouraged to join the PULSE online colleague community at www.pulsecommunity.org

Dee Silverthorn