Pam Brown and her daughter, Jade.
May 27, 2021
Pam Brown, an associate professor of biological sciences, was recently named the University of Missouri’s Undergraduate Mentor of the Year. Brown has been at Mizzou since Sept. 2012. In addition to choosing Mizzou for its interdisciplinary research environment, Brown said she also wanted to work with students.
“I wanted a job that allowed me to teach and mentor undergraduates and graduate students,” Brown said. “It’s an element of this job that I find satisfying, helping trainees see the value of the scientific process and critical thinking skills.”
A Rhode Island native and the mother of four children aged 1–10, Brown is known by her students for her passion, intellect, energy and heart.
“Dr. Brown has been my research mentor for nearly six semesters, and throughout that time, she has proven to be a dedicated and caring mentor, going beyond the duties of the average principal investigator,” one student stated in the Mentor of the Year submission form. “She devotes a large amount of time to helping undergraduates explore their opportunities and develop new skills.”
In addition to the Mentor of the Year, Brown has collected the College of Arts and Science’s Purple Chalk Teaching Award and the Provost’s Outstanding Junior Faculty Teaching Award. She also shares science with local high schools, using antibiotic resistance as a model lab exercise to teach evolution, and works with MU’s world-renowned Interdisciplinary Plant Group.
“The most exciting part about the Mentor of the Year Award is that the students nominated me without me knowing,” Brown said. “It’s remarkable that there was a group of students that put together the nomination package, and that they see the value of the opportunities in the lab.”
