David Hanauer

David Hanauer is a Professor of English/Applied Linguistics in the Language, Literature, and Writing Department at Indiana University of Pennsylvania's College of Arts, Humanities, Media, and Public Affairs. His research uniquely bridges humanities, social sciences, and scientific disciplines through rigorous methodological integration, with office location in 315 Leonard Hall.

His dual research foci encompass science education (specializing in undergraduate biology, scientific inquiry pedagogy, and assessment systems) and literary studies (centered on poetry reading/writing processes and poetic inquiry methodologies). Hanauer employs triangulated qualitative, quantitative, and arts-based approaches to investigate phenomena like project ownership in lab courses and voice development in creative writing, driven by his core educational philosophy that students must generate new knowledge rather than merely consume existing information.

Analysis of his publications reveals distinctive interdisciplinary patterns: Science education work emphasizes authentic research experiences through the SEA-PHAGES bacteriophage program, yielding validated assessment tools and insights into undergraduate ownership development. Literary studies output pioneered poetic autoethnography as a research method, with publications spanning psycholinguistics of poetry reading to war experience documentation through verse. Both strands demonstrate consistent methodological innovation across decades.

His science education research has been continuously funded by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute since 2005 through collaboration with University of Pittsburgh's Graham Hatfull, enabling sustained development of the SEA-PHAGES program where Hanauer serves as lead coordinator. This support facilitates nationwide implementation of course-based undergraduate research experiences in biology education.

Hanauer actively contributes to the SEA-PHAGES program infrastructure, a collaborative network providing authentic scientific research opportunities for thousands of undergraduate students across multiple institutions through bacteriophage isolation and genomic analysis projects.