Distinguished UCR genetics professor Susan Wessler was appointed as the first College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences (CNAS) Neil A. and Rochelle A. Campbell Presidential Chair for Innovation in Science Education. Part of the chairs endowment will be used to support the Dynamic Genome program which will allow students to perform research in addition to their studies of genomics and molecular biology.
The chairs endowment was provided by Neil Campbell’s widow Rochelle, who previously donated funds to support the Neil A. Campbell Science Learning Observatory, which Wessler runs. According to Rochelle Campbell in a press release, “This chair is dedicated to the ongoing research to improve science education for undergraduates.”
“It is a huge honor to be the first recipient of this endowed chair,” Wessler stated in the same press release. “ I am extremely grateful to the donor Rochelle Campbell who also provided most of the support for the state-of-the-art Neil A. Campbell Science Learning Laboratory where all Dynamic Genome sections are taught.”
