Saint Mary’s Biology Professor Receives Award for Webinars of Women in STEM

June 28, 2018 (Notre Dame, Ind.) — Joel Ralston, assistant professor of biology at Saint Mary’s College has been named the recipient of the Blackboard Catalyst Award for Teaching and Learning, which honors those who have adopted flexible, distance, and online delivery, including using mobile technologies to positively impact the educational experience. 

Founded in 2005, the annual Catalyst Awards recognize and honor innovation and excellence in the Blackboard global community of practice, where millions of educators and learners work every day to redefine what is possible when leveraging technology. Winners are selected by a cross-functional team of Blackboard experts. 

Ralston is being recognized for his unique efforts to integrate Blackboard in the classroom by hosting a Women in Ecology webinar series that brings women ecologists from around the world into his classroom. 

“Ecology — like many fields of science — has historically been a male-dominated field. While women have made very important contributions to the field — and still are everyday — our textbook doesn’t always do a good job of demonstrating this,” Ralston explained. “It was important to me to show our students at Saint Mary’s that women can and do navigate the challenges of being a woman scientist, and can be successful in the field of ecology.”

Ralston has been teaching for three years at the College. He earned his PhD at the University of Albany and teaches several biology courses including ecology, evolution, and environmental biology. He will be honored alongside other Blackboard Catalyst Award winners during BbWorld 2018, Blackboard’s annual user conference to be held July 16-19 in Orlando.

“I’m proud to recognize this year’s Catalyst Award winners for their dedication to using technology to enhance the learning experience and sharing their best practices with the larger community,” said Bill Ballhaus, Chairman, CEO, and President of Blackboard. “We look forward to continuing to partner with the winners and their institutions to support learner success.”

About Blackboard: Blackboard is the leading provider of learner success-focused technology solutions and services. Its product portfolio is unmatched in the marketplace, spanning teaching and learning, analytics, community engagement, campus transactions and security solutions as well as student services.

Written by Reilly LaPrairie ’19, media relations intern and communication studies major with a minor in business administration and public relations.