Rate My Professor Harold Olivey

Harold Olivey is the Department Chair and Clinical Associate Professor of Biology at Indiana University Northwest. He earned his Ph.D. in Biology from Vanderbilt University in 2003. Throughout his career at IU Northwest, Dr. Olivey has advanced from Assistant Professor to Clinical Associate Professor, with his promotion to the latter effective July 1, 2023. He teaches various biology courses, employing student-centered methods and collaborative learning strategies to support diverse student goals, such as course completion, retention, and reduced debt. His teaching philosophy emphasizes meeting students where they are, adapting approaches to foster individual success, and viewing education as providing a foundation for community contributions. In June 2022, he was recognized for teaching excellence and inducted into the Faculty Academy on Excellence in Teaching (FACET), an IU-wide organization promoting pedagogical innovation. As a FACET member and Associate Director for IU Northwest, he participates in retreats and shares best practices.

Dr. Olivey's research specialization is the transcriptional regulation of heart and blood vessel development, focusing on the gene FOG-2, which is indispensable for heart formation and coronary vasculature. He utilizes real-time quantitative PCR and microarray analysis in his IU Northwest laboratory, collaborating with investigators at the University of Chicago. Key publications include 'Using Google Docs to Administer Synchronous Collaborative Assessments' (Journal of Teaching and Learning with Technology, 2022), which details innovative assessment methods; 'Epicardial-Myocardial Signaling Directing Coronary Vasculogenesis' (Circulation Research, 2010); and 'Expression of the type III TGFβ receptor during chick organogenesis' (The Anatomical Record, 2003). He also serves as contact for the Science Olympiad program, provides academic advising, and has appeared in institutional videos and podcasts discussing his career and teaching. Dr. Olivey's work bridges research, pedagogy, and service, enhancing biology education and departmental leadership at IU Northwest.