Erica Crespi

Lutz Science and Mathematics Teaching Excellence Award

Associate Professor
Biological Sciences

An innovator in science pedagogy, Erica Crespi teaches with leading-edge instructional technology and techniques, and is dedicated to student success in the classroom and beyond.

Erica blends lecture and laboratory instruction to enhance student interaction, and often includes a civic engagement component in her assignments. She integrates research in her courses, in which students design and conduct experiments addressing questions such as how pesticides and other environmental chemicals impact early development in animals or how high-fat diets affect health and behavior.

She frequently participates in teaching panels to help fellow faculty and graduate students improve their strategies, and she promotes the use of inquiry-based modules for teaching developmental biology at universities and colleges across the Pacific Northwest.

A tireless advocate for women and underrepresented groups in the sciences, she co-advises the WSU Scientista group and mentors undergraduate students in the LSAMP and McNair Scholars programs.

Erica is a highly productive researcher and scholar committed to increasing science literacy, diversity, and inclusion, and her work is changing the landscape of science education and training.