Name:

Sanlyn Buxner

Current (or former) AER-related position:

Science education faculty member

Current institutional/organizational affiliation:

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Sociocultural Studies at the University of Arizona and the Planetary Science Institute

Current geographic location:

Tucson, AZ

If applicable, when and where did you receive your PhD?

 

If applicable, what was/is the topic of your dissertation research?

An investigation of how research experiences for science teachers impacted their understanding of the nature of science and science inquiry, their views of classroom inquiry, and their classroom practice. Additionally, I investigated how participating in a research experience changed teachers' identities as researchers and teachers.

If applicable, in what topics related to AER or education do you have expertise?

Research experiences, classroom implementation of reformed teaching, faculty support of reform, assessment, evaluation, quantitative methods, mixed-methods

What topics related to AER would you be most interested in pursuing or collaborating on?

Reformed teaching in K-12 and university settings, assessment of instructional change, assessment of self-efficacy of students and teachers, community engagement and meaning making related to STEM, interdisciplinary research

If applicable, what education, public outreach, or equity-related efforts are you involved in?

Professional development of K-12 teachers through courses and hands-on workshops, experiential programs with teens and teachers, development of curriculum for young children in informal settings, public talks, star parties, docent training.

Name:

Joel Green

Current (or former) AER-related position:

Astronomy outreach professional

Current institutional/organizational affiliation:

Space Telescope Science Institute

Current geographic location:

Baltimore, MD

If applicable, when and where did you receive your PhD?

University of Rochester (2009)

If applicable, what was/is the topic of your dissertation research?

Spitzer-IRS Analysis of Young Stars, Outflows, and Shocks/Feedback in Molecular Clouds

If applicable, in what topics related to AER or education do you have expertise?

I work to create and edit content for K-12 education curricula, as well as general public-level outreach. I also assist in materials for the scientific community, particularly with regard to the Hubble and James Webb Space Telescopes. I'm also a founding member of the "SAVE-Point Collaboration," a team that creates science-standard applicable video games for astronomy concepts (K-12 or even university appropriate).

What topics related to AER would you be most interested in pursuing or collaborating on?

 

If applicable, what education, public outreach, or equity-related efforts are you involved in?

 

Name:

Nicole Gugliucci

Current (or former) AER-related position:

Astronomy faculty member interested in education

Current institutional/organizational affiliation:

Saint Anselm College

Current geographic location:

Manchester, NH

If applicable, when and where did you receive your PhD?

University of Virginia, 2012

If applicable, what was/is the topic of your dissertation research?

radio astronomy instrumentation at long wavelengths

If applicable, in what topics related to AER or education do you have expertise?

informal education with primary and secondary students, citizen scientist motivations, teaching astronomy content to pre-service and in-service teachers

What topics related to AER would you be most interested in pursuing or collaborating on?

engineering projects as a method of learning science content for pre-service teachers; effective astronomy 101 teaching strategies for small classes; developing and testing night sky labs for small college observatories

If applicable, what education, public outreach, or equity-related efforts are you involved in?

assistant professor of physics and astronomy, co-advisor for the Astronomy and Physics Club, Night Sky Network member, speaker and blogger

Name:

Julia Kregenow

Current (or former) AER-related position:

Astronomy faculty member interested in education

Current institutional/organizational affiliation:

Penn State University, Dept of Astronomy & Astrophysics

Current geographic location:

State College, PA

If applicable, when and where did you receive your PhD?

UC Berkeley 2007

If applicable, what was/is the topic of your dissertation research?

Ultraviolet observations of the Interstellar Medium

If applicable, in what topics related to AER or education do you have expertise?

managing multiple data streams: interview, concept inventory pre- post-tests, questionnaires, grades, demographics

What topics related to AER would you be most interested in pursuing or collaborating on?

 

If applicable, what education, public outreach, or equity-related efforts are you involved in?

interactive lecture techniques: lecture tutorials, voting cards, minute papers, class discussions, group projects

TA and faculty professional development

Name:

Julia Plummer

Current (or former) AER-related position:

Science education faculty member

Current institutional/organizational affiliation:

Pennsylvania State University

Current geographic location:

University Park, PA

If applicable, when and where did you receive your PhD?

2006

If applicable, what was/is the topic of your dissertation research?

My dissertation research characterized students' ideas about the apparent motion of the Sun, Moon, and stars and used this to develop and analyze a planetarium program designed to improve their understanding of these topics. These findings were used to describe the initial levels of a celestial motion learning progression.

If applicable, in what topics related to AER or education do you have expertise?

My AER research includes: astronomy learning progressions; spatial thinking in astronomy; planetarium education; science practices in astronomy (in particular, student learning around how astronomers conduct astronomical investigations); astronomy for preschool audiences (with a science practices focus).

What topics related to AER would you be most interested in pursuing or collaborating on?

Research focused on: spatial thinking; planetarium education; astronomy in informal settings; PreK-8th grade age groups

If applicable, what education, public outreach, or equity-related efforts are you involved in?

I regularly work with our local science children's museum to develop programs (primarily for 3-8 year olds).

Name:

Derek Richardson

Current (or former) AER-related position:

Astronomy faculty member interested in education

Current institutional/organizational affiliation:

Dept. of Astronomy, Univ. of Maryland

Current geographic location:

College Park, MD

If applicable, when and where did you receive your PhD?

Cambridge UK 1993

If applicable, what was/is the topic of your dissertation research?

 

If applicable, in what topics related to AER or education do you have expertise?

Implementation of research-based instructional strategies in the classroom to promote student-centered learning.

What topics related to AER would you be most interested in pursuing or collaborating on?

I am open to new ideas for further improving student-centered learning opportunities in the classes I teach.

If applicable, what education, public outreach, or equity-related efforts are you involved in?

I am leading (2015–2016) the transformation effort of our two-semester introductory astrophysics course for science majors, which includes a redesigned lab component.

Name:

Tim Slater

Current (or former) AER-related position:

AER faculty member

Current institutional/organizational affiliation:

University of Wyoming

Current geographic location:

Laramie, WY

If applicable, when and where did you receive your PhD?

1993, University of South Carolina

If applicable, what was/is the topic of your dissertation research?

astronomy education research and constructivist teaching strategies

If applicable, in what topics related to AER or education do you have expertise?

Predominantly, my expertise is in developing, evaluating, and teaching professors to use effective college teaching methods.

What topics related to AER would you be most interested in pursuing or collaborating on?

I am particularly interested research studies focused on improving the introductory astronomy survey course for non-science majoring undergraduates and research on effective college faculty professional development

If applicable, what education, public outreach, or equity-related efforts are you involved in?

I am the editor of the Journal of Astronomy & Earth Sciences Education, jaese.org and have served on the NRC Committee on Discipline-based Education Research

Name:

Chandra Turpen

Current (or former) AER-related position:

PER faculty member

Current institutional/organizational affiliation:

University of Maryland, College Park

Current geographic location:

College Park, Maryland

If applicable, when and where did you receive your PhD?

University of Colorado, Boulder (graduated: May 2010)

If applicable, what was/is the topic of your dissertation research?

Title: "Towards a Model of Educational Transformation: Documenting the changing educational practices of professors, institutions, and students in introductory physics"

If applicable, in what topics related to AER or education do you have expertise?

Designing and researching contexts for learning; Facilitating students’ development of expertise with scientific practices; Theory of learning physics in context; In-situ studies of classroom practices and identity development; Developing high quality science learning experiences for populations underrepresented in science; Teacher recruitment and preparation within a physics department; Learning and development of faculty, teachers and students; institutional and organizational change—theories and strategies; Qualitative and ethnographic methodologies.

What topics related to AER would you be most interested in pursuing or collaborating on?

Diversity and Equity in Higher Education (supporting diverse trajectories into science and cultivating inclusive participation in science)
Faculty change and professional development
Department and Organization cultural change
Developing models for our the design of our educational settings support or hinder students' development and learning (design research).
Investigating student reasoning about "long-time" scale processes.
Development of science identities

If applicable, what education, public outreach, or equity-related efforts are you involved in?

I have launched and sustained a peer educator program at the University of Maryland College Park called the Maryland Learning Assistant (LA) Program based on a successful model developed at the University of Colorado. This program has helped to transform large-enrollment science courses into environments where students can interact with one another, engage in collaborative problem solving, and articulate and defend their ideas. To accomplish this, I hire and train undergraduate LAs to facilitate small-group interactions in these courses. These LAs are then critical to beginning and sustaining course transformation efforts. I regularly teach a pedagogy seminar that supports LAs in their first semester of participation in the program. I am also a co-organizer on an NSF grant to create the Access Network to support retention and representation in physics through an alliance of campus-based diversity programs.

Name:

Patricia Udomprasert

Current (or former) AER-related position:

Astronomy outreach professional

Current institutional/organizational affiliation:

Harvard University Astronomy Dept, WorldWide Telescope Ambassadors Program

Current geographic location:

Cambridge, MA

If applicable, when and where did you receive your PhD?

Caltech, 2003, Astronomy PhD

If applicable, what was/is the topic of your dissertation research?

Sunyaev-Zeldovich Effect in nearby galaxy clusters.

If applicable, in what topics related to AER or education do you have expertise?

Research on effective use of astronomy visualization technology in K-12 formal and informal education, with a focus on middle school-aged students. Our team is designing labs that blend physical and virtual models to teach students astronomy topics like Moon phases, celestial motion, and transiting extrasolar planets. The research focus of a current NSF DRK-12 grant is how to design these labs to support students' spatial thinking skills, which are critical to success in all areas of STEM. A separate project supported by the Templeton Foundation will help students explore how astronomers search for extrasolar planets that could support life, and engage in a conversation around the human/societal implications of discovering extraterrestrial life.

Our group also collaborates on an NSF-funded project to design Astro 101 labs that include a visualization component in WorldWide Telescope.

What topics related to AER would you be most interested in pursuing or collaborating on?

I would be interested in collaborating with others who work in K-12 astronomy education, or anyone who is interested in using WWT in their education and outreach work.

If applicable, what education, public outreach, or equity-related efforts are you involved in?

I'm the project director for the WorldWide Telescope Ambassadors program, which recruits and trains volunteers to use the WorldWide Telescope astronomy visualization program to teach astronomy in a variety of educational settings, including classrooms, planetariums, and science festivals.