Dr. Lacey Huffling (‘03) received the Distinguished Alumnus of the Year Award from Lee University’s Department of Natural Sciences. This honor was announced during a virtual Homecoming celebration earlier this month.
“Lacey Huffling stands out as a talented biologist with an exceptional ability to excite and engage the next generation in scientific endeavors and open their eyes to the possibility of a career that they may never have thought achievable,” said Dr. Michael Freake, professor of biology at Lee.
Dr. Huffling is an assistant professor in the Department of Teaching and Learning at Georgia Southern. She has more than a dozen peer reviewed articles published in science education journals and books and is the recipient of numerous grants to support her work. Her focus is in designing citizen science projects that include underrepresented and underserved groups.
She is a reviewer for the International Journal of Science and Environmental Education, The Science Teacher, and The American Biology Teacher journals. She has also given many presentations at various conferences.
After receiving her Bachelor of Science from Lee, Dr. Huffling went on to earn a Master of Education from Wake Forest University and a doctorate in science and environmental education from the University of North Carolina.
“I am honored to be selected as the alumnus of the year for Natural Sciences,” said Dr. Huffling. “My time at Lee not only shaped me spiritually, but also professionally and personally. My professors exemplified how to love God with ‘all your heart, your soul, and your mind.’ I have taken the time, energy, and care that was poured into me and used it to become a teacher-scholar who is passionate about providing all my students access to high-quality science education.”