Peggy Fong

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Over the course of her 12 years at UCLA, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Professor Peggy Fong has been acknowledged by her peers and students for her contribution to the university’s teaching mission as well as her energetic mentorship of graduate and undergraduate students. Having earned degrees from Marquette University, San Diego State and UC Davis, Fong has developed and taught several courses in ecology. She has taught in large lecture halls and at in-field sites at the coral reefs of Australia and Tahiti.

Fong’s students widely acknowledge her genuine energy and compassion in the classroom. One student says, “By far (Professor Fong) is the best teacher I’ve had in what feels like a lifetime of schooling… I finally got a chance to know my professor, (and) I won’t ever forget her or what she’s taught me.” Fong’s colleagues echo this praise, citing her concern for all of her students’ academic development. Professor Elma Gonzalez, 2005 Distinguished Teaching Award recipient, applauds her dedication to teaching both graduate and undergraduate students to be scientists.

As an effective leader in undergraduate education, Fong has participated on the department’s curriculum committee and served as chair of an ad hoc committee to review undergraduate curriculum offered by the department. She also acted as the department undergraduate advisor, a position in which she oversees student research projects and assists department student advisors. She has been honored as the president-elect of the California Estuarine Research Society and as a member of the governing board of the International Estuarine Research Foundation.

Fong is consistently lauded for her enthusiasm for teaching, her strong theoretical focus and her availability to students outside of lectures. She remains committed to her students, insisting that personal interaction between students and faculty is key to student success in the classroom and in the collegiate experience. Her personal support and enthusiasm for her students has shaped many academic and professional careers. Doctoral student David Lin says, “Working with Peggy affected me so much that I changed my major and career goals away from medicine in favor of ecology…. Not only do I aspire to be a researcher of her caliber, but also to follow her example as a teacher and mentor.”