Remembering Dr. Megan Tommerup, former MSTI NSM Liaison

Dr. Megan Tommerup (July 17, 1969 to March 30, 2026) trained as a botanist, earning her B.S. at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, and her Ph.D. at Claremont Graduate University in partnership with Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden. Her research focused on the evolution of rare plant breeding systems and polyploidy. She joined the faculty of CSU Fullerton in 2001 and spent the next quarter-century shaping how thousands of Titans learned biology through her teaching in courses, including BIOL 102, Biology for Future Teachers, and BIOL 453, Life Science Concepts. Students routinely reported being engaged and inspired by Dr. Tommerup’s classes, not only for the content they learned but by the instructional strategies modeled. Dr. Tommerup was also a valued member of the Secondary Teacher Education Program Committee (SECTEP). Her enthusiasm for supporting secondary education was appreciated greatly during her tenure on the committee.

Beyond the classroom, Megan coordinated the biology credential subject matter preparation program, the NSM minor, and the biology education curriculum. She served as the NSM liaison to the Math/Science Teacher Initiative (MSTI), working with College of Education colleagues to recruit and inspire future science teachers. Through this work, she advised generations of undergraduate students from biology as well as majors across campus who went on to teach in K-12 schools throughout Southern California. Her research interests bridged conservation and pedagogy, including endangered species monitoring and restoration alongside science education itself.

In 2016, the Academic Senate recognized her as the inaugural recipient of the Outstanding Lecturer Award, an honor created to celebrate lecturers whose impact extends well beyond the classroom. She was praised for her engaging teaching, her commitment to curriculum development, and her collaboration with the College of Education to prepare future teachers in hands-on, project-based science.

Megan passed away at the end of March 2026. Her legacy lives on in the students she taught, the teachers she trained, and the many students who came to love science and science teaching as a result of her passion for such work. MSTI remembers Dr. Tommerup as our longtime NSM liaison and coordinator of the NSM minor.