Skip to main content
Intellect

BYU professor named fellow of national science organization

Gary M. Booth, Brigham Young University professor of plant and wildlife sciences, has been elected a 2008-2009 SENCER Leadership Fellow by the National Fellowship Board of the National Center for Science and Civic Engagement

SENCER is the Science Education for New Civic Engagements and Responsibilities program supported by the National Science Foundation to improve teaching throughout the world.

“This is literally the single most important thing I have done to improve teaching in my 35 years of teaching science,” said Booth. “I am honored to have this opportunity to stretch my creative juices and bring credibility to teaching and help my colleagues see the importance of teaching here at BYU.”

As a SENCER Leadership Fellow, Booth will expand his vital outreach activities as he continues to support the development of exceptional science courses, student research projects and service learning initiatives at BYU.

“Professor Booth truly has been an ambassador for the SENCER ideals on his own campus where he has instituted a broad range of pedagogical reforms in his biology courses,” said David Ferguson, National Fellowship Board chair. “Beyond BYU, Gary has worked tirelessly to connect improvement in science learning to service learning and research-connected initiatives in Utah and around the nation.”

The fellowships honor educators for exemplary leadership and commitment to the improvement of science, technology, engineering and mathematics education. SENCER Leadership Fellows are elected to an 18-month term, and a total of 76 Fellows were chosen from among the nominees drawn from the 1,300 eligible faculty members and academic leaders.

For more information, contact Gary M. Booth at (801) 422-2458.

Writer: Angela Fischer

Related Articles

data-content-type="article"

Want to thrive in your 30s? BYU study says education and service in your 20s are key

July 16, 2025
New BYU research shows that hitting the books and helping others in your 20s leads to a happier, more regret-free life in your 30s.
overrideBackgroundColorOrImage= overrideTextColor= promoTextAlignment= overrideCardHideSection=false overrideCardHideByline=false overrideCardHideDescription=false overridebuttonBgColor= overrideButtonText= promoTextAlignment=
data-content-type="article"

Wildflowers not wildfires: How BYU and Provo City are helping to restore Rock Canyon Trailhead

July 10, 2025
At Rock Canyon Trailhead in Provo, Utah, BYU researchers are fighting fires with flowers. By replacing a problematic weed called cheatgrass with wildflowers, students and faculty are working to protect and restore one of Provo’s most popular hiking spots.
overrideBackgroundColorOrImage= overrideTextColor= promoTextAlignment= overrideCardHideSection=false overrideCardHideByline=false overrideCardHideDescription=false overridebuttonBgColor= overrideButtonText= promoTextAlignment=
data-content-type="article"

Wildfires in residential areas are on the rise; why hydrants and the water system behind them were never meant to stop those fires

July 01, 2025
BYU professor Rob Sowby teaches and studies environmental engineering, urban water infrastructure and sustainability. He has particular expertise in the planning, design, construction and operation of public water systems. That expertise has been increasingly important (and regularly sought out) in the wake of apocalyptic wildfires that have taxed those public water systems.
overrideBackgroundColorOrImage= overrideTextColor= promoTextAlignment= overrideCardHideSection=false overrideCardHideByline=false overrideCardHideDescription=false overridebuttonBgColor= overrideButtonText= promoTextAlignment=
overrideBackgroundColorOrImage= overrideTextColor= promoTextAlignment= overrideCardHideSection=false overrideCardHideByline=false overrideCardHideDescription=false overridebuttonBgColor= overrideButtonText=