Name: Cassandra Bell
Title: Senior Instructor of Biology; Secondary Science Teacher Education Program Coordinator
Education: M.S., Biology, Winthrop University
B.S., Marine Science, University of South Carolina
S.C. Secondary Science Teaching Certification, Converse College
Office: 244 Dalton Hall
Phone: 803/323-2111 x6448
E-mail: bellc@winthrop.edu
Web:
Area(s): Science Teacher Education, General Biology with emphasis on Ecology/Evolution, Sex
Ratios of Loggerhead Sea Turtle Hatchlings on the South Carolina Coast (Master’s Thesis)
Ms. Bell is the coordinator of the Secondary Science Teacher Education Program, which includes options for both Biology and Chemistry majors. In this role, she advises, instructs Methods courses, and supervises field placements for students in this program. Additionally, Bell is the coordinator of BIOL 150 (lecture) and 151 (lab), which are non-major biology courses at Winthrop. She also teaches sections of these courses, including some Honors sections.
Currently, Bell is a primary program director for the Winthrop's Initiative for STEM Education (WISE) program. The program was funded in 2010, 2015 and 2024 by the National Science Foundation Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship grant to support students financially and professionally in the areas of mathematics or science education. WISE is also very active in recruiting math and science majors to consider education as a career. First and second year math and science majors are invited to apply to participate in the STEM Pre-professional Experience (STEMPE) which engages these students in education and research in their content areas.
Bell is also a Project Learning Tree (PLT) Facilitator; PLT offers K-12 environmental education curriculum which is aligned to all disciplines through the lens of forests. Bell trains Winthrop pre-service and area teachers to become PLT Educators. Prior to joining Winthrop faculty, she taught high school science at Fort Mill High School, worked as a research technician at the Savannah River Ecology Lab, and was an environmental educator for visiting school groups at University of Georgia’s Jekyll Island 4-H Center.