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DUNWOODY, GA. — Dr. David Yenerall’s earliest memories are about pondering humanity and wanting to know more.
“Since I can remember,” said Yenerall, recipient of Perimeter College’s 2025 Global Engagement Award, “I have been curious about our origin and our place in the universe and fascinated by human space flight.”
As an astronomy and astrobiology professor at Perimeter College’s Dunwoody Campus since 2010, Yenerall has been able to explore that curiosity and share it with his students. It has taken international turns, as when Yenerall designed collaborative Virtual Exchange projects with partners in Australia, Chile and Honduras for his Astronomy classes.
In one class, students went on a virtual field trip to compare digitates in New Zealand hot springs to the “Home Plate” on Mars. (Digitates refers to radiating divisions or leaflets resembling the fingers of a hand.) Perimeter students worked with Australian students to share and compare data, navigate time zones and apply theory to practice.
“His work,” said Andrea DiBenardo, associate professor of Spanish at Perimeter College, “has given hundreds of (Perimeter) students chances to participate in international experiences without ever leaving their home.”
“Beyond the cosmos,” said Nantha Cousens, one of Yenerall’s students, “this program became a conduit for connecting with our fellow earthlings, fostering a sense of unity and shared curiosity,”
Yenerall also hosted a Study Abroad trip to Chile called “Life in the Universe.” He took students to the Atacama Desert, a desert plateau on the Pacific coast of South America, in north Chile, to look for signs of early life on Earth and to give them a hands-on experience. Students included those who are focused on astronomy, engineering, biology, environmental science and mathematics.
“Participants expressed a new excitement about their course of study and a renewed and more narrowly focused outlook on their future in their respective fields,” Yenerall said.
In his International Initiatives role, Yenerall promotes and supports faculty development of, and student participation in, Study Abroad programs on the Dunwoody and Alpharetta campuses. He also promotes and coordinates Virtual Exchange initiatives and assists faculty in developing Virtual Exchange programs on all five Perimeter College campuses. He coordinates the Global Scholars at Perimeter, serves as a Fulbright liaison, edits the college’s International Initiatives newsletter, advises and directs an Honors Student Assistant and supports other Perimeter College International Initiatives. In addition, he attends and presents at national and international conferences.
“Through Virtual Exchange,” said Yenerall, “I have the opportunity to engage ALL students in Global Collaborative Learning, through which students work with international peers to solve problems and complete tasks. Learning through such an experience develops students’ intercultural and global competencies, as well as their ability to collaborate. I believe these skills will serve students in our globally connected world.”
Originally from Jacksonville, Florida, Yenerall holds a Master’s degree in Astronomy from Western Sydney University, a Master’s in Teaching from North Georgia College and State University, plus an Education Doctorate from University of North Georgia.
“At the heart of all his exchange work,” said DiBenardo, “is Dr. Yenerall’s desire to make international experiences more available to students and, in turn, enhance their global competencies for academic, personal and professional purposes.”
Story by Christy Petterson
Photo by Bill Roa