October 14, 2025
The heart of Honors
In Professor Jon C. Herron’s classroom, Honors Huskies learn to ask better questions, link ideas across fields and carry that curiosity far beyond the lab — the hallmark of the UW Honors Program. Students describe Herron the same way, year after year: curious, humble and life-changing.
A longtime lecturer and now teaching professor in biology, Herron earned his Ph.D. at the University of Washington and has taught at the UW ever since. He’s had a lasting impact on students and graduates of the University Honors Program and is the first five-time recipient of the Honors Excellence in Teaching Award. His classes, often filled with non-science majors, explore evolution, human behavior and how we understand the world.
Learning to think like a scientist
“As a political science major, I don’t get too much science in my coursework,” said Kylie Knowles, ‘22. “Herron’s course made me think about humans differently and was applicable outside the classroom. I can take this skill with me for the rest of my life.”
Herron bridges fields and builds confidence, meeting students where they are and encouraging them to question, connect and push beyond perceived limits. “I was nervous about his class,” said psychology major CaraLee Rose Howe, ‘20. “I didn’t think of myself as a ‘science person.’ Dr. Herron was compassionate and spent a lot of time answering my questions. I felt more confident after his course.”
That confidence extends beyond the classroom. When Howe asked for a recommendation, Herron met with her to learn her goals, connected her with a researcher in her area of interest, and helped her secure a research assistant role. “My Honors experience wouldn’t be the same without his influence,” she said.
His lectures are dynamic and conversational. “He morphs the curriculum every day to questions students ask,” noted neuroscience and public health double-major Olivia Brandon, ‘23. “He’s humble, approachable and committed. He encouraged us to challenge far-fetched ideas and rethink models we assume are correct.” After class, she added, “I found myself diving into Darwinian logic and viewing everyday reasoning and behaviors in a new way.”
For Herron, science isn’t memorization; it’s cultivating one’s curiosity, noticing patterns, asking “why” and embracing uncertainty. “He makes every student feel seen and heard,” said psychology major Elise Aydelott, ‘21. “He encourages us to ask weird questions and goes off-schedule to explore them. It’s obvious that his number-one concern is that we learn and stretch our thinking.”
Accessibility and care are hallmarks of his teaching. “He’s extremely enthusiastic and dedicated,” said electrical engineering major Lucas Beidler, ‘22. “You can tell he cares about you and your learning. He’s a fantastic lecturer — clear, concise and always ready for questions.”
Students also note the sense of belonging he creates through mentorship, flexibility and small acts of kindness. “Last quarter I had to travel for my internship,” Knowles recalled. “I was concerned about missing class, but Dr. Herron was more than understanding and made sure I could keep up.”
Across decades of teaching, Herron has inspired generations of Huskies to stay curious and to treat the scientific method not only as a tool for discovery, but as a way of thinking about life. “He truly goes above and beyond every single class,” Brandon said. “I looked forward to every lecture.”
In the Honors Program, where interdisciplinarity and inquiry define the student experience, Professor Herron exemplifies the kind of teaching that changes how students see the world — and themselves.
Blog post by Danielle Holland // Video by Jayden Becles, Kirsten Atik, Danielle Holland