Dr. Stephanie Couch, an alumna of UC Santa Barbara’s Gevirtz School, has been named the 2015 California Life Sciences Association’s Biotechnology Educator of the Year. Couch received her M.A. and Ph.D. from the Department of Education at UC Santa Barbara, and is currently the Bayer executive director of Cal State East Bay’s Institute for STEM Education and director of the Gateways East Bay STEM Network. She also is the interim associate vice president for research at CSUEB. Couch will receive the honor at the Pantheon Award Ceremony on November 17 in San Francisco.
Couch was selected for this prestigious award for her leadership in identifying areas for action in STEM education and facilitating discussion between stakeholders and educators regarding the recruitment and training of diverse and effective STEM teachers. Her notable work also includes ironing out students’ transition from school to careers, and ensuring students are prepared and stick with STEM in college and careers. Couch has been committed to education policy issues focusing on underprivileged student issues, such as finance and education technology.
Previously, Couch was instrumental in creating and implementing the statewide California STEM Learning Network (CSLNet), a non-profit dedicated to creating the world’s best STEM education system to ensure that all students will graduate high school with extensive STEM knowledge.