PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas – Educators have a unique opportunity to shape students’ futures. The best ones not only share knowledge but also inspire, challenge, and spark curiosity to make learning a lifelong journey. When a student encounters an exceptional teacher, it can change his or her life.
E. Gloria C. Regisford, Ph.D.
Prairie View A&M University’s (PVAMU) E. Gloria C. Regisford, Ph.D., is one of these exceptional educators. She was recently honored with PVAMU’s Presidential Award for Outstanding Achievement as a Faculty Member. “PVAMU recognizes faculty and staff through awards for significant contributions in teaching, research, and service – areas of importance to the university’s land-grant mission,” said President Ruth J. Simmons.
Although the award ceremony was canceled because of the pandemic, the recipients will participate in a combined 2020/2021 ceremony with the next round of winners. “I am truly humbled to be the first recipient of this prestigious award. It is an honor to be recognized for doing what I love and loving what I do,” Regisford said.
For Regisford, a native of the Caribbean island group of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, this award commemorates a 30-year career in teaching at the college level. The esteemed biology professor has dedicated herself to PVAMU students in undergraduate classes, such as general biology, cell biology, topics in genomics, and research, and graduate courses in cell biology and genomics.
Regisford joined PVAMU in 1997, intending to help elevate young people to greater heights, especially in science. “I enjoy the challenge of shaping and molding young minds and feel deep fulfillment with each and every student’s success,” she said. Her mantra is “Excellence is not a skill; it is an attitude,” quoting Ralph Marston. “I push my students to strive for excellence in everything they do,” she said.
Before joining PVAMU, Regisford received her undergraduate degree in animal science at the University of Rhode Island, a master’s degree in reproductive physiology/animal science at Pennsylvania State University, and a doctoral degree in reproductive physiology/animal science at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. A post-doctoral fellowship in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center brought her to Houston and then to PVAMU. “When I found out about the best-kept secret in Texas, PVAMU, I wanted to be a part of this progressive and productive institution,” she said.
Central to her teaching philosophy is the idea that engaging underrepresented minorities in science benefits all of society by allowing them to educate their own families and communities. “This is important in these unprecedented times of the COVID-19 pandemic, a disease that has disproportionately affected people of color. With science education, it is my hope that health disparities will be removed from society as a whole in the not too distant future,” she said.
To fully engage students, Regisford challenges them with hands-on, hypothesis-driven research. The idea is to go beyond simply memorizing concepts and to learn to think critically and analytically like research scientists. But students aren’t the only ones who are learning in Regisford’s classroom. “I view teaching as a two-way street, and I learn a lot from my students, also. They help to keep my mind active and sharp, especially when they ask probing and challenging questions.”
Within the Department of Biology at PVAMU, Regisford serves as co-chair for the curriculum instruction committee and the research collaboration committee. She serves as an advisor for the Women in Science student organization, and she also serves on the Diversity Committee of the national professional Society for the Study of Reproduction (SSR).
Earning the PVAMU Presidential Award for Outstanding Achievement as a Faculty Member is not the first time Regisford has been honored for her work. She is the recipient of many distinctions, including being appointed as a member of the Texas A&M University System Academy for Educator Development, receiving the American Society of Cell Biology (ASCB) minority affairs linkage fellowship, and being honored with PVAMU’s Unknown 8 Award.
When she is not in the classroom or collaborating with committee members, Regisford devotes time to research and publishing her findings. She has received more than $3.5 million from both internal and external funding agencies, and her work has appeared in numerous peer-reviewed scientific journals. Currently, she is the principal investigator for the newly funded $1 million NSF S-STEM grant (“Scholars in Undergraduate Math and Science”) that targets low-income, academically talented students in the STEM fields of biology, chemistry, physics, and mathematics.
Regisford’s research is focused on the molecular biology of ovarian cancer and endometrial cancer. She leads a research group of 20 undergraduate students, affectionately known as the “Regisford Lab Rats,” engaging in annotating novel genes. In April 2020, the “Regisford Lab Rats” submitted abstracts to the PVAMU Research Symposium, and six students presented their research at the annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students through a virtual experience in November 2020.
According to Regisford, her exceptional skill and teaching abilities began with support from a strong, loving family unit. “Gratitude goes out to my parents, my brothers, and sisters. I would also like to dedicate this award to my late mother and sister, Freda, and another sister, Monica, all of whom sacrificed much to support me in my formative years,” she said. In addition, Regisford is grateful to her students (past and present) and her son. “I owe this award to all the Regisford Lab Rats and my son, Zane, who inspire me to give my all to my chosen profession every day.”
By Angie Frederickson
-PVAMU-