May 27, 2008 - Claremont, Calif. - David Asai, Stuart Mudd Professor of Biology and chair of the Department of Biology at Harvey Mudd College (HMC), will join the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) in Maryland, it was announced recently.

Starting in August, Asai will begin his post as director of HHMI’s undergraduate science education program, overseeing $50 million in annual initiatives designed to reinvigorate life sciences teaching and education at liberal arts colleges and research universities.

“While it is a great loss for the Department of Biology and the college as a whole, it is a huge honor for HMC to have one of its faculty members selected for this position and we are thrilled for David to have this opportunity,” said Robert Cave, vice president for academic affairs and dean of faculty. “David came to the college five years ago from Purdue University to focus on undergraduate education and has had a huge positive impact.”

In his new position, Asai looks forward to identifying better measures of success in science education and better ways—whether through publications, websites or meetings—to share what works with other undergraduate educators.

He also hopes to see his college and university colleagues take on big questions that address how science can best be taught across disciplines, how the ranks of scientists can be better diversified and how faculty members can become better teachers.

"Excellence is not measured simply by the credentials of those who enter an institution," said Asai. "Rather, excellence should be measured by what we impart to the students in their four years of college. Our success in developing excellence will be greater if we are an institution with persons from different backgrounds who bring a rich diversity of perspectives and disciplines."

HHMI, a non-profit medical research organization that ranks as one of the largest philanthropies in the United States, plays a powerful role in advancing U.S. biomedical research and science education.

Its grants support innovative and unique higher education programs that bring content, excitement and relevance of science to today’s students.

As a former HHMI program director at both Purdue and HMC, Asai knows first hand the impact such grants can have.

“Out here in the trenches, HHMI has a huge reputation because of the science it stands for,” explained Asai. “They don’t only support the people who are about to get Nobel prizes, but also those who may in 20 years be Nobel Laureates. That is certainly an appealing aspect of this exciting new opportunity.”

An accomplished cell biologist and researcher, Asai became interested in science in high school during a National Science Foundation summer research program, similar to programs funded by HHMI grants today at schools across the nation.

He proceeded to conduct research as a Stanford University freshman, continuing through graduate school at the California Institute of Technology and a postdoctoral fellowship at U.C. Santa Barbara. His research focused on the structure of dynein, the molecular motor responsible for many activities within cells.

After nearly two decades as a Purdue faculty member and head of the university’s biological sciences department, Asai was recruited to HMC, where he says he has learned a lot in the last five years.

Aside from learning how to be a better teacher, "I have started to learn what it means to truly integrate student learning and discovery. Harvey Mudd faculty and students do an incredible job in their research. This is far more than advanced busy work,” said Asai.

“Our research stands up well to the scrutiny of peer-review so that research is published and experiments are funded through federal grants,” he added. “Most impressively, all of our students engage in open-ended scientific inquiry."

It is these students that Asai will miss most when he heads to Maryland.

“I will miss the many superb individuals who serve on the staff and faculty,” he said. “I will miss the culture of an academic institution where we ensure that every voice is heard and where we work hard to understand and value every perspective. But, most of all, I will miss the students who—each and every one of them—are the greatest teachers in the world.”