Biologist Scott Solomon named Piper Professor for excellence in teaching

(Press-News.org) Rice University’s Scott Solomon, a biologist, science communicator and teaching professor in the Department of Biosciences, has been named a 2025 Piper Professor by the Minnie Stevens Piper Foundation, one of the most prestigious accolades awarded to educators in Texas. The award honors professors for exceptional teaching and service to students and is given annually to 10 faculty members from colleges and universities across the state. Each recipient receives a $5,000 honorarium and a place in the distinguished roster of Piper Professors, which has recognized outstanding educators since 1958.

Solomon, who has taught at Rice for more than 15 years, was nominated for his extraordinary commitment to student learning, mentorship and public engagement. From introductory biology lectures to immersive field-based courses in ecosystems around the world, Solomon is known for igniting students’ curiosity and helping them connect scientific knowledge to real-world applications. His approach blends rigorous academics with transformative, hands-on experiences that shape students’ academic paths — and often their careers.

“For more than 15 years, Scott has been an engaging and transformative educator at Rice,” said Amy Dittmar, the Howard R. Hughes Provost and executive vice president for academic affairs. “His passion for biology, his dedication to students and his innovative teaching approaches, including a public science communication seminar, truly elevate the undergraduate experience. This recognition testifies to theimpact he has made on our students and our academic community.”

Solomon teaches a wide range of courses at Rice, including Introductory Biology, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Biological Diversity and Public Science Communication as well as a new course on astrobiology that will be offered in the fall. In addition, he teaches a class focused on evolution and society for the Master in Interdisciplinary Studies program offered through Rice’s Susanne M. Glasscock School of Continuing Studies. His summer field courses include African Savanna Ecology, a course that takes students to Tanzania where they experience the Serengeti ecosystem, and Tropical Field Biology, which takes students to Belize to study biodiversity in two of the most complex ecosystems on Earth, the tropical rainforest and the coral reef. These field-based courses, Solomon said, are essential to helping students make meaningful connections with the organisms and ecosystems they learn about in the classroom.

“I’m deeply honored to receive the Piper Professor award,” Solomon said. “Teaching is one of the most meaningful parts of my life, and I’m grateful every day for the opportunity to help students explore the natural world. Their energy, curiosity and enthusiasm are an inspiration to me.”

Students describe Solomon as the kind of professor who makes biology come alive. His courses routinely receive top marks with students describing Solomon as “a mentor, a guide and an inspiration.” One student remarked, “His enthusiasm is contagious, and his ability to break down complex ideas into understandable concepts is incredible.” Another noted, “Dr. Solomon doesn’t just teach us biology, he teaches us how to think like scientists.”

That philosophy underpins Solomon’s broader teaching mission: to cultivate critical thinking, creativity and scientific literacy through active, inquiry-based learning. In addition to his classroom teaching, he serves as a mentor for student research projects, guiding undergraduates as they design experiments, collect data and present their findings. His mentorship has earned him the Outstanding Undergraduate Research Mentor Award, and many of his mentees have gone on to publish in scientific journals or pursue advanced degrees in biology and environmental science. He is also an associate at Baker College, where he was a resident adviser from 2010-17, and he often hosts trips for the Rice Alumni Traveling Owls program with upcoming trips to New Zealand in December 2025 and Alaska in August 2026. Solomon also developed a specialization called Introduction to Biology with Rice Online that is distributed through Coursera.

Solomon’s impact extends well beyond the Rice campus. He is a research associate at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History and has conducted fieldwork across the Americas, including studies of ant evolution and biodiversity in the Amazon Basin, Central America and the southern United States. His scholarly work, which focuses on ant behavior, evolution and symbiosis, is integrated directly into his teaching, giving students a front-row seat to the latest discoveries in the field.

A gifted science communicator, Solomon also reaches global audiences through his writing, media appearances, public talks and other outreach efforts. His book “Future Humans: Inside the Science of Our Continuing Evolution” (Yale University Press) was named a Best Book of the Year by the American Association for the Advancement of Science. His next book, “Becoming Martian,” about how outer space affects the human body and mind, will be published by MIT Press in 2026. He has created popular online courses on evolution and insects for The Great Courses, appeared on NPR and the BBC and hosts the podcast “Wild World with Scott Solomon,” which brings the excitement and wonder of scientific fieldwork and exploration to general audiences. Through these efforts, he continues to champion public understanding of science in ways that are accessible, engaging and deeply informative.

“Whether mentoring a student through their first field experiment, leading a group into the rainforest or explaining evolution to a general audience, Scott brings clarity, passion and humility to everything he does,” said Thomas Killian, dean of the Wiess School of Natural Sciences. “He is an extraordinary asset to Rice and to the broader educational community in Texas and beyond.”

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