Laura S. Zapanta

  • Teaching Professor

Contact

Office: (412) 624-3256
A355 Langley Hall
4249 Fifth Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15260

I have experience in industrial research, academic research, and science writing and editing, but teaching is my true passion. I currently teach Biochemistry, Foundations of Biology, and Writing in the Biological Sciences. I believe that the best teachers help their students develop both the skills they need to learn and the confidence to use their knowledge in new ways. I want my students to understand, apply, and think critically about the material they are learning in my courses. To that end, I am working on developing and adapting methods of instruction that move away from the traditional lecture so that students are more actively participating in the learning process. These include case studies, POGIL activities, molecular visualization activities, and group work. I am also interested in finding new methods to help students develop scientific communication skills such as reading and understanding the scientific literature, composing clearly written scientific arguments, and making quality oral presentations of data.

Jakubowski HV, Zapanta LZ (2013) The Pre-health

Jakubowski HV, Zapanta LZ (2013) The Pre-health Collection within MedEdPORTAL’s iCollaborative: Helping faculty prepare students for the competencies in the new MCAT2015 Exam. Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education 41:76-78

Zapanta, L (2011) A Roadmap to Success in B

Zapanta, L (2011) A Roadmap to Success in Biochemistry: Extra Help for Confusing Topics. Kendall Hunt: Dubuque.

Brouet, S., Cichowicz, M., Jakubowski, H.V. and

Brouet, S., Cichowicz, M., Jakubowski, H.V. and Zapanta, L.S. (2013) Instructional Resources for the New MCAT Exam Available at the Open-Access, Pre-Health Collection within MedEdPORTAL’s iCollaborative. J. Chem. Educ. 90(12):1697-1698.
Dr. Zapanta received her Ph.D. in Biochemistry in 1998 from the Pennsylvania State University and joined the Department in 2008.