When she was a child, Mary Ellen Wiltrout PhD '09 didn't want to follow in her mother's footsteps as a K-12 teacher. Growing up in southwestern Pennsylvania, Wiltrout was studious with an early interest in science ' and ended up pursuing biology as a career. But following her doctorate at MIT, she pivoted toward education after all. Now, as the director of blended and online initiatives and a lecturer with the Department of Biology, she's shaping biology pedagogy at MIT and beyond. To this day, E.C. Whitehead Professor of Biology and Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) investigator emeritus Tania Baker considers creating a permanent role for Wiltrout one of the most consequential decisions she made as department head. Since launching the very first MITxBio massive online open course 7.00x (Introduction to Biology ' the Secret of Life) with professor of biology Eric Lander in 2013, Wiltrout's team has worked with MIT Open Learning and biology faculty to build an award-winning...
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