Gregory Pask Wins Teaching Award from Society of Integrative and Comparative Biology

Gregory Pask, associate professor of biology, has received the M. Patricia Morse Award for Excellence and Innovation in Science Education from the Society of Integrative and Comparative Biology for significant achievement in science education. Pask, who is known for using humor and imagination to make science accessible to children, was recognized for his teaching in the classroom and community through programs like the Pokémon Pop-Up Museum—an event for younger students featuring exhibits by students in his entomology and mammalogy courses highlighting biological concepts through the use of Pokémon characters.

“Greg has leveraged his enthusiasm for science education to create an engaging and inclusive classroom, as well as doing scientific outreach in both the local community and broader audiences,” wrote one nominator. “He continues to drive pedagogical innovation through work on his own campus as well as workshops and writings aimed at the larger community.” 

A past recipient of Middlebury’s Perkins Award for teaching excellence in math and the natural sciences, Pask is an insect neurobiologist who studies how insects use their sense of smell to locate food, find mates, and communicate. His current research examines the evolution of chemical signaling in day-active fireflies and pheromone reception in longhorn beetles. His lab integrates molecular biology, genetics, electrophysiology, animal behavior, and chemical ecology to study these questions in both model and non-model insect species. 

The Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology is an international scientific organization dedicated to advancing the study of biological diversity through integrative research that spans molecular, organismal, and evolutionary biology.