Title

Laura Christian

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Title/Position
Lecturer, Director of Academic Effectiveness for Graduate Studies
Areas of Research

Areas of Research

Engineering Education
Contact

Contact

Whitaker 2116Georgia Tech
laura.christian@gatech.edu
404-894-2000
Biography

Biography

Dr. Christian is interested in enhancing educational practices for Biomedical Engineering students. Prior to changing to a primarily teaching career, her research included developing a method to quantify individual types of trans fatty acids in human serum, determining differing binding partners for dynein during T cell activation, examining cell signaling steps during neural crest migration in frog embryos, and several other projects. Dr. Christian held teaching positions at West Virginia University and Renssalaer Polytechnic Institute before joining the BME Department at Georgia Tech. 

Education

Education

  • B.S. Chemistry, Georgia Institute of Technology 2005
  • Ph.D. Cell and Molecular Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, 2013
Research Interests

Research Interests

Dr. Christian is interested in maximizing the impact of BME courses for educating undergraduate and graduate students. Her research has included measuring the impact of Problem Solving Studio in BMED 3600: Physiology of Cell and Molecular Systems, and she is currently working to incorporate activities in all BME undergraduate courses that build student data skills. In her role with the graduate program, she is developing new assessment and course planning strategies.

Teaching Interests

Teaching Interests

At Georgia Tech, Dr. Christian teaches BMED 1000, BMED 2250, BMED 3100, and BMED 3600.
Publications

Publications

URL
L. Christian, O. Winslett, C. Thiemann and T. Fernandez, "Using Alphafold to Deepen Understanding of Protein Folding and Big Data in an Engineering Cell and Molecular Physiology Course," 2025 IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference (FIE), Nashville, TN, USA, 2025, pp. 1-7, doi: 10.1109/FIE63693.2025.11328602.
URL
O. Winslett, L. Christian, C. Thiemann and T. Fernandez, "WIP: Evaluating a Survey Tool to Measure the Longitudinal Development of Student's Perception and Confidence in Using Advanced Data Skills," 2025 IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference (FIE), Nashville, TN, USA, 2025, pp. 1-5, doi: 10.1109/FIE63693.2025.11328291.
URL
Rooney, S.I., King, C.E., Christian, L. et al. Identifying and Overcoming Barriers to Classroom Engagement in Biomedical Engineering Education. Biomed Eng Education 5, 107–120 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s43683-025-00176-8
URL
Christian, L., Raghuvanshi, I., & Fernandez, T. (2025, May). Implementation of Entrepreneurial-Minded Learning: An Effective Strategy for Molecular Biology and Biochemistry Education. In JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY (Vol. 301, No. 5). RADARWEG 29, 1043 NX AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS: ELSEVIER.
URL
Christian, Laura M.; Fox, Kristin M.; Bell, Anthony J. Jr.; DeChenne-Peters; Provost, Joseph PhD; Bell, Jessica K.; and Bell, J. Ellis (2025) "Construction of a CURE Community to Empower Faculty and Accelerate Pedagogical Change," International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching & Learning: Vol. 19: No. 1, Article 2.