Phillip Sokolove, Ph.D.

Professor

Education

• PhD, Biophysics, Harvard University, 1969
• BA, Physics, UC, Berkeley, 1964

Professional Interests

Phillip Sokolove is a Professor in UMBC’s Biology Department which he joined in 1974. He holds a B.A. degree in Physics from the University of California, Berkeley and a Ph.D. in Biophysics from Harvard University. His postdoctoral research was conducted at Stanford University. Dr. Sokolove has published research articles in a number of areas of biology including invertebrate neurophysiology, circadian rhythms, and neuroendocrine control of reproduction. Between 1984 and 1996 he served in various positions in the UMBC administration including the Graduate School, Office of the Dean of Arts and Sciences, and Office of the Provost. From 1990-1995 he was UMBC’s representative in an 11-campus, NSF-supported science/math training program for pre-service teachers. There he learned about constructivist teaching and cooperative learning. Although lacking formal training in teaching or education research, since 1995 he has been engaged in studying and publishing articles on the effects of widely recommended pedagogical reforms – sometimes referred to as “active learning” methods – on student learning in BIOL 100. In 2002 he was awarded the Regents’ Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching. Between 2001-2004 Dr. Sokolove was PI on an NSF grant with the Shriver Center that placed science, math and engineering graduate students and advanced undergraduates in teachers’ classrooms in five, Baltimore-area, high-need middle schools. More recently he has been actively working as a UMBC Faculty Fellow to foster partnerships between UMBC and high school teachers under a $10 million NSF Math-Science Partnership grant to the USM and Montgomery County. In 2006 he was selected as the UMBC Presidential Teaching Professor for 2006-2009.

Courses Taught

Publications

• Encouraging out-of-class student questions in an introductory biology course. Marbach-Ad, G. and P.G. Sokolove. 2006.  Journal of Student Centered Learning, 3:29-36.
• Student Use of internet study rooms for out-of-class group study in in introductory biology. Sokolove, P.G., G. Marbach-Ad and J. Fusco. 2002. Journal of Science Education and Technology, 12:105-113.
• The use of e-mail and in-class writing to facilitate student-instructor interaction in large-enrollment traditional and active-learning classes. Marbach-Ad, G. and P.G. Sokolove. 2002. Journal of Science Education and Technology, 11:109-119.

Awards

• Grass Foundation Fellowship
  1969
  The Grass Foundation
• Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching
  2002
  University System of Maryland Board of Regents
• Outstanding Faculty Award
  2002
  Maryland Association for Higher Education
• Phi Beta Kappa
  1964
  UC, Berkeley
• Congressional Science Fellow
  1982
  FASEB
• Presidential Teaching Professor
  2006
  UMBC

Funding

• GK-12 UMBC Teaching Enhancement Partnership Project
  NSF
  $1,488,464
  2002-2005
• Longitudinal Comparison Study of Long-term Effects of Active and Investigative Learning in Introductory Biology
  NSF
  $414,824
  1999-2001