Uploaded March 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Now entering its fourteenth year, “What Matters to Me and Why,” the annual series of informal discussions with respected members of our campus community, has enjoyed remarkable success.
This talk features Andrea Nicholas, Professor of Teaching, Neurobiology and Behavior, Charlie Dunlop School of Biological Sciences. Andrea has been a dynamic faculty member since 2012. She is the founder of the Human Biology Major, one of UC Irvine’s most successful and rapidly growing interdisciplinary specialty programs in the Charles Dunlop School of Biological Sciences. She advises thriving undergraduate research efforts, student-run free clinic clubs, and leads K-12 outreach in partnership with the Human Biology Club and campus science initiatives. Known for her engaging teaching and real-world approach, Andrea’s non-majors biology courses (including Drugs and the Brain and Mood Disorders) consistently draw enthusiastic participation and praise from students across campus. Her research focuses on innovative STEM pedagogy, the scholarship of teaching and learning, and building challenging and engaging active-learning classrooms in biology and neuroscience. Andrea has received multiple teaching awards, including the Gallow Professor of the Year and the Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching. As a mentor for student programs and pre-health advising, she has shaped key departmental priorities and serves the university through committee service, including as an active member of the Council on Academic Personnel (CAP).
Now entering its fourteenth year, “What Matters to Me and Why,” the annual series of informal discussions with respected members of our campus community, has enjoyed remarkable success.
This talk features Andrea Nicholas, Professor of Teaching, Neurobiology and Behavior, Charlie Dunlop School of Biological Sciences. Andrea has been a dynamic faculty member since 2012. She is the founder of the Human Biology Major, one of UC Irvine’s most successful and rapidly growing interdisciplinary specialty programs in the Charles Dunlop School of Biological Sciences. She advises thriving undergraduate research efforts, student-run free clinic clubs, and leads K-12 outreach in partnership with the Human Biology Club and campus science initiatives. Known for her engaging teaching and real-world approach, Andrea’s non-majors biology courses (including Drugs and the Brain and Mood Disorders) consistently draw enthusiastic participation and praise from students across campus. Her research focuses on innovative STEM pedagogy, the scholarship of teaching and learning, and building challenging and engaging active-learning classrooms in biology and neuroscience. Andrea has received multiple teaching awards, including the Gallow Professor of the Year and the Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching. As a mentor for student programs and pre-health advising, she has shaped key departmental priorities and serves the university through committee service, including as an active member of the Council on Academic Personnel (CAP).
