Evelyn Marques Frazier, PhD, is a National Research Mentoring Network master facilitator for the Entering Mentoring and Entering Research curricula, a University Instructor, and the Coordinator of the Honors Research Thesis Pathway Honors Program in the Department of Biological Sciences at Florida Atlantic University (FAU). The undergraduate research programs were developed under an NSF Undergraduate Research and Mentoring award (2009-2013) to increase participation by underrepresented groups in undergraduate research and to create a culture of research among undergraduate students. The program has trained over 200 students in 10 years.
Frazier is now expanding undergraduate research training to freshman and transfer students through the NSF-LEARN Program (2016-2020) in the College of Science. Her institutional goal is to build on successful programs and expand research opportunities for undergraduate students at FAU through NSF and NIH training grants.
Her research interests also involve developing educational programs for FAU students and the community to promote the conservation of two threatened species that occur on the FAU Boca Raton campus: the gopher tortoise and the burrowing owl. She is an insect ecologist specializing in insect-plant interactions, with experience in South American tropical ecosystems and in the conservation of gopher tortoises in Florida.
Frazier is also a Summer Institute on Scientific Teaching Alumni (2006, 2007, 2012) and has modified her courses to promote active learning. She has been teaching introductory biology courses with large enrollments for over 20 years and has been adapting her courses to incorporate more active learning in the classroom. Her other research interests include biology education and the development of undergraduate research mentoring programs.