Diana Elrod, Ph.D.

Contact

delrod@twu.edu
940-206-6287

Website

Biography

I am an educator, consultant/evaluator, strategist, and grant-writer with a proven record of working collaboratively and effectively in diverse environments, assessing programs, finding innovative ways to solve problems, and meeting the varied and often challenging demands of higher education. I am an active and engaging professional determined to develop appropriate outcomes. I specialize in efficiency and continuity assessment and evaluation. My expertise is broad-based and includes development of higher education success strategies for under-served populations, promoting STEM, and educating university students for ove three decades.

Education

Ph.D., Biology, University of North Texas, Denton, TX
M.S., Biology, University of Memphis, Memphis, Tennessee
B.S., Biology, University of Arkansas - Little Rock, Little Rock, Arkansas

Research Interests

Program Development and Assessment; STEM Education; First Generation Students; Student Access and Success; Cultural Competency; Evolutionary Biology; Genetics

Latest Articles

Improving retention and graduation rates for undergraduate STEM students via PRIME
Proceedings of the 18th National Symposium on Student Retention (2022)
Diana Elrod, Jorg Waltje, Karen Dunlap

Current Projects

EPA P3 2017 Phase II – SV839357 – Texas Woman's University – Developing Sustainable Pollinator Gardens for Habitat, Water Conservation, and Education Texas Woman's University, promoting sustainability as a core value in education, has established sustainable pollinator gardens as an academic teaching and learning tool for students' course work, civic engagement, and research. The main objectives of the project are to educate students, partners, and surrounding communities on sustainability practices and study the plant-pollinator interactions through research projects that could provide science-based advice to land managers and policy makers for the purpose of crop improvement and increased biodiversity.

Externally Funded Projects

FUE2L 2025 - TCCD Year 1 of 1
Crystelle Waggoner Charitable Trust | $25,000.00 | 2025
Role: Principal Investigator

FUE2L - Fostering Undergraduate Engagement through Experiential Learning Year 1 of 1
Lyda Hill Philanthropies | $100,000.00 | 2024
Role: Principal Investigator

Scholarships and Co-curricular Activities leading to Excellence in the Biotechnology Workforce (TWU-SCALE) Year 1 of 6
National Science Foundation (NSF) | $1,500,000.00 | 2022
Role: Co-Principal Investigator

TWU-PRIME (Partnerships, Research, Innovation, Mentoring, and Engagement) Year 1 of 5
National Science Foundation | $2,500,000.00 | 2020
Role: Principal Investigator

TWU-STAR (Scholarships, Teams, and Research) Year 1 of 5
National Science Foundation | $999,975.00 | 2019
Role: Principal Investigator

EPA Pollinator Gardens
GOV-Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) | 2017
Role: Co-Investigator

Professional Affiliations

• American Evaluation Association
• Association for Women in Science
• Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR)
• International Mentoring Association (IMA)
• Phi Kappa Phi (ΦKΦ)