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2020 Faculty Election

Megan Plenge

Running for: Division 3. Natural Sciences and Mathematics: Faculty Council, Nontenured
  • Teaching Assistant Professor
  • Geology
  • Appointed: 2017
  • PhD, University of Texas at Austin, 2012
  • Candidate Website
UNC Service

UNC has provided me with abundant opportunities to contribute to the University at large.

I have contributed to the General Education curriculum, including:
1. Developing a MakerSpace course- some sections of GEOL 101: Planet Earth Lab
2. Developing a "First Year Launch" section of GEOL 101: Planet Earth Lecture
3. Developing "Fake News, Real Science," a triple i course that will launch in Fall 2020.

I connect the Geological Sciences to the University community.
1. I am the diversity liaison
2. I am the Teaching Faculty liaison to the Assistant Dean for Instructional Innovation.
3. I participated in the SoTL FLC 2018-2019

Candidate Statement

Undergraduate STEM education faces numerous challenges today. One of the main challenges is increasing diversity and ensuring equity in undergraduate STEM courses. UNC has been making great strides in tackling these issues, and my background in STEM education and my experience assessing instructional materials as part of an NSF-funded STEP Center grant will make me a valuable contributor to conversations about teaching practices, student engagement, and assessment of teaching efficacy.
Another challenge universities face on a national level is development of promotion criteria for fixed-term faculty. At the AAU Undergraduate STEM Education Conference this January, I was simultaneously proud to report on the systems already in place at UNC and excited to brainstorm improvements based on seeing what other AAU Universities have developed.