Gabriele Wienhausen, Associate Dean
of Biological Sciences, Earns TWIN Award for Leadership

June 13, 2011

Gabriele Wienhausen

Gabriele Wienhausen, associate dean for education in UC San Diego’s Division of Biological Sciences, has been named one of the 2011 recipients of the San Diego YWCA Tribute to Women and Industry (TWIN) Award. This prestigious award recognizes outstanding women professionals for their leadership, achievement and contributions to their organizations. 

Wienhausen has devoted 26 years of scholarship to UC San Diego, first as a visiting scholar and research scientist, then as a faculty member in the Division of Biological Sciences and founding provost of Sixth College. As provost, Wienhausen helped define the college’s theme of “culture, art and technology” and piloted several educational programs to promote interdisciplinary thinking and prepare students for a future that demands creativity, imagination and ethical integrity. These programs include the Sixth College Honors Seminar, the Transfer Student Seminar and the Sixth College Practicum, an upper-division, general education requirement that integrates theory learned in the classroom with hands-on community service experience.  

Currently, as associate dean for education in the Division of Biological Sciences, she provides leadership and innovation to the educational mission of the division, including undergraduate and graduate education, experiential learning programs for students and outreach programs for executives, K-12 students and the general public.  She also serves as the principal investigator for the Pacific Rim Experience for Undergraduate Summer Research (PRIME), an international summer program offering hands-on research experience and mentorship for undergraduate students.

“With passion, dedication and innovative strategy, Dr. Wienhausen executes leadership that goes above and beyond the required responsibilities of a faculty member,” said Chancellor Marye Anne Fox. “She has initiated and overseen a variety of community outreach and diversity programs that have had a major impact on our campus, including a significant increase in the number of underrepresented graduate biology students.”  

In addition to the TWIN Award, Wienhausen has earned several honors and awards from UC San Diego, including the Outstanding Faculty Award from Revelle College and Warren College, the Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action and Diversity Award, the Chancellor’s Associates Faculty Recognition Award for Excellence in Teaching and the Academic Senate Excellence in Teaching Award. She also holds membership in the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Association for the Advancement of Computing Education, the Association for Biology Laboratory Education, the National Teachers Association and the Society for College Science Teachers.

Wienhausen will be recognized at the YWCA TWIN Awards Luncheon June 21 at the Sheraton Hotel and Marina in San Diego. In addition to recognizing outstanding businesswomen and the companies that support them, the event raises financial support and awareness for local programs and services for women, children and families who are working to break the cycle of domestic violence and homelessness. For more information, visit www.ywcasandiego.org.