2021 WISC Summit Attendee Session Hub

Dr. Saundra Yancy McGuire

Dr. Saundra Yancy McGuire is the Director Emerita of the Center for Academic Success, Professor Emerita in the Department of Chemistry, and retired Assistant Vice Chancellor at Louisiana State University. She is an internationally recognized chemical educator, author and lecturer who has travelled the globe promoting sure-fire strategies to help students, including those underrepresented in science and math professions, to be successful in their coursework and careers.  She has delivered keynote addresses or presented workshops at over 400 institutions in 47 states and twelve countries.   Prior to joining LSU, she spent eleven years at Cornell University, where she received the coveted Clark Distinguished Teaching Award.  Her best-selling book, Teach Students How to Learn, was published by Stylus in 2015. The student version of this book, Teach Yourself How to Learn, was released in 2018.

Dr. McGuire’s most recent accolades include being listed in the 2020 edition of Marquis Who’s Who in America, the 2019 Distinguished Lecturer Award from the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development (NISOD), the 2019 Commitment to Excellence in Academic Support Award from the Commission for Academic Support in Higher Education, the 2017 American Chemical Society Award for Encouraging Disadvantaged Students to Pursue Careers in the Chemical Sciences, and induction in 2017 into the LSU College of Science Hall of Distinction.  She is an elected Fellow of the American Chemical Society (ACS), the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), and the Council of Learning Assistance and Developmental Education Associations (CLADEA). Additionally, she was awarded Lifetime Learning Center Leadership Certification by the National College Learning Center Association.

She is married to Dr. Stephen C. McGuire, the James and Ruth Smith Professor of Physics Emeritus at Southern University. They are the parents of Dr. Carla McGuire Davis and Dr. Stephanie McGuire, and the doting grandparents of Joshua, Ruth, Daniel, and Joseph Davis.

Learn more about Dr. McGuire.

To hear more from Dr. Saundra McGuire, check out her books Teach Students How to Learn and Teach Yourself How to Learn.

For 20% off and free shipping on Saundra McGuire titles for WISC Annual Summit Attendees, use promo code SM21. Offer expires 12/31/2021.

Dr. Jennifer Meka

Jennifer Meka, PhD is the Associate Dean for Medical Education and Director of the Medical Education and Educational Research Institute (MEERI) at the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the State University of New York SUNY at Buffalo (UB). In her role as director of MEERI, Meka oversees the advancement of medical education at UB. A scholar in medical education with expertise in curriculum design and assessment, she is responsible for planning and implementing programs that enable faculty and instructional staff to develop their skills as educators. Meka also works to promote scholarship in medical education and peer support, as well as career advancement and recognition for medical educators.

Upon arrival at the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences in 2019, Meka established the Learning Sciences and Educational Success Program to provide comprehensive programs and resources for supporting student learning across the curriculum. She is an assistant professor in the Department of Medicine’s division of Behavioral Health and an assistant research professor in the Department of Learning and Instruction in the Graduate School of Education.

She earned her PhD from the University at Buffalo’s graduate school of education in Elementary Education and her master’s in Teacher Education from Canisius College. Prior to joining UB, Jennifer served as the inaugural Director of the Woodward Center for Excellence in Health Sciences Education at the Penn State College of Medicine in Hershey, Pennsylvania.

Rebecca Borowski, PhD 
Higher Education '20
Postdoctoral Associate, Collegiate Science & Technology Entry Program (CSTEP), University at Buffalo

Lauren Lotempio 
Undergraduate Biochemistry student, University at Buffalo

Diana Duarte 
Undergraduate Biomedical Sciences student, University at Buffalo

Temera Cross 
Undergraduate Public Health student (BS/MPH combined program), University at Buffalo
Research assistant at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center

Heather Evangelista 
Graduate Engineering Science (focus on engineering sustainability) student, University at Buffalo