Meet Our Team

Bio

Pl

Experience or expertise/projects of note:

I serve as PI to the Climate Education Pathways project. My work focuses on designing instructional materials for K-12 science classrooms. Recent projects include OpenSciEd Middle School and OpenSciEd Covid-19 & Health Equity, Place-based learning for elementary science at scale – PeBLES2, and BSCS Biology: Understanding for Life. Prior to these recent projects, I was the project director for the Environmental Literacy Teacher Guides series at National Geographic Society and a curriculum designer for the Environmental Literacy Project at Michigan State University (now called CarbonTIME).

Reasons I’m excited about this project:

Equipping science teachers to provide high-quality, data-driven, and meaningful learning experiences to youth about climate change is critical.

Bio

Co-Pl

Experience or expertise/projects of note: 

I design instructional materials with and for local communities and national audiences.  I lead BSCS’s work on Place-Based Learning for Elementary Science at Scale (PeBLES2), designing adaptable units that invite teachers to incorporate meaningful phenomena for students. I’ve been a curriculum writer on the OpenSciEd Middle School Program, Restoring ‘Ea, and Invitations to Inquiry with FieldScope. I am also a researcher on the Climate Empowerment Learning Initiative (CELI), a network improvement community that is co-creating climate justice learning experiences that support teacher agency and student learning and belonging. My prior research on youth learning through citizen and community science used the environmental science agency framework.

Reasons I’m excited about this project:

Working to address the climate crisis is the most important thing we could be doing in science education.

Bio

Co-Pl

Experience or expertise/projects of note:

Award-winning producer of educational multimedia and interactive teacher, student and informal learner resources developed through partnerships with local and national experts with a goal to educate and inspire curiosity, conversation and deeper connection. Projects include serving with BSCS as Co-PI on A Medical Mystery, producing the PBS website for Hacking Your Mind, partnering with BSCS on Energy: A Multidisciplinary Approach for Teachers, and producing educational materials and the website for OPB’s science of archaeology, PBS prime-time series, Time Team America.

Reasons I’m excited about this project:

Students and teachers in my community have been clamoring for instruction material and tools to better understand how and why climate change is affecting the health of our communities now. I’m elated to work with this respected, thoughtful and solutions focused team to provide vitally important climate change education, approaching the topic in relevant, recognizable, and equitable ways for all learners. I’m especially excited to dig into data collected from reliable sources, learn from it, and visualize it for broad engagement in practical, meaningful and inspiring ways.

Bio

Co-Pl

Experience or expertise/projects of note:

Climate Education programs, partnerships and leadership at local, regional, national and international levels. I was a classroom teacher for 10 years in biology, ecology, earth systems and science technology and society. Worked at NASA on the Mission to Planet Earth with LandSat, was a master teacher and international trainer for the GLOBE Program and have co-founded networks and coalitions to advance climate literacy over the last decade and a half. Finally, I have led national climate educational initiatives at the White House during the Obama administration and am now an Action for Climate Empowerment National Focal Point for the United States.

Reasons I’m excited about this project:

It’s the most important part of the climate work that just does not get the support it needs. Making progress here enables communities near and long term climate solutions.

Bio

Experience or expertise/projects of note:

led the development of the OpenSciEd middle school project; specifically currently co-leading the revision of the middle school climate change unit; extensive work with data & mapping kinds of learning experiences.

Reasons I’m excited about this project:

Based on initial success in the OpenSciEd middle school climate change unit, I am very excited about designing a unit that provides teachers with the supports and data needed to teach about climate change (in any community), while also being very relevant and engaging for students. I am passionate about helping kids understand why our environments and communities are changing, and what kinds of solutions exist to adapt to the negative effects of climate change while also reducing the human footprint on Earth’s systems.

Bio

Experience or expertise/projects of note:

I have a BA in political science from Colorado College. I have been working at BSCS Science Learning as a research associate since 2020 primarily with Dr. Donovan on the Humane Genetics projects. I also work on Place-Based Learning for Elementary Science at Scale (PeBLES2) which aims to create experiences that help students understand their worlds by connecting to local phenomena, communities, and cultures.

Reasons I’m excited about this project:

 I have previously worked with Dr. Guy-Gaytán and Dr. Harris on another project that looks at localizing curriculum for teachers. I am excited to continue work that empowers students to learn.

Bio

Experience or expertise/projects of note:

Currently Betty is the PI on the STeLLA CO². This project’s goal is to enhance teacher preparation programs in three universities with the STeLLA program. She was the PL lead and Co-PI on  A Medical Mystery project and also was a curriculum developer on several OpenSciEd middle school units including the 7th grade climate change unit. Betty serves as the PL lead and curriculum developer on this project.

Reasons I’m excited about this project:

I am excited because teachers are ready and hungry for this content. The “extras” that will be included such as ESA, local adaptation, and supporting teachers in not only science content but supporting them in teaching controversial topics will be a challenge but are also exciting to learn about and work on.

Bio

Experience or expertise/projects of note:

My focus areas are experimental methods, social cognition, genetics education, quantitative reasoning, causal reasoning, and motivated reasoning. Visit the Humane Genetics project page here.

Reasons I’m excited about this project:

I have conducted research that explores how quantitative reasoning, causal reasoning, and motivated reasoning interact to influence climate change reasoning. Read more about this work in the article, "Complex influences of mechanistic knowledge, worldview, and quantitative reasoning on climate change discourse: Evidence for ideologically motivated reasoning among youth."

Bio

Experience or expertise/projects of note:

research scientist with interests in co-designing learning environments supporting Indigenous pedagogies;  curriculum developer on OpenSciEd Middle School and PeBLES2

Reasons I’m excited about this project:

I’m excited about the opportunities for supporting students and teachers to make sense of a very real issue that is affecting their communities, and for them to ideate on and possibly enact solutions meaningful to their community.

Bio

Experience or expertise/projects of note:

Interactive design / development for Open SciEd Orangutan simulation, 3DMSS, EMAT, Across the Sciences, Carbon Connections. Lead web developer / designer for ww.opb.org.

Reasons I’m excited about this project:

Because kids internalize and normalize new ideas, even when we think they aren’t listening.

Bio

Experience or expertise/projects of note:

Climate scientist working on a range of projects to increase the use of climate science in decision-making; Extension specialist focused on climate solutions and adaptation; on leadership team for Midwest Climate Adaptation Science Center and Director for Knowledge Transfer of a new NSF Science and Technology Center called COLDEX. Currently writing a book called Every Action Matters about a range of systems-based and individual actions to help address the climate crisis.

Reasons I’m excited about this project:

I have so much to learn from the team! I’m excited to surface climate solutions at a range of scales in this work. There are so many great stories that we can tell and ways to build agency!

Bio

Experience or expertise/projects of note:

Worked on A Medical Mystery, currently acting as evaluator for the TiLLAGE project. Experience with research, evaluation and quantitative measurement.

Reasons I’m excited about this project:

Learning more about environmental science agency (ESA) and how to measure it quantitatively. Seeing what impacts the climate education pathways unit has on student’s ESA.

Bio

Experience or expertise/projects of note:

As a Senior Research Associate I’ve worked on numerous BSCS projects. Among those that stand out are Medical Mystery and several focused on STeLLA. 

Reasons I’m excited about this project:

I love that this project will support students in working with data to better understand climate related issues. I’m also eager to see how newer approaches, such as ESA and supporting teachers in adapting the unit to local concerns, will impact student engagement, learning, and agency. Climate change is an ideal context in which to explore these approaches.

Bio

Experience or expertise/projects of note:

BA in psychology from Colorado College. I have been working in science education research at BSCS Science Learning since 2017, primarily with Dr. Brian Donovan on the Humane Genetics projects. I am also currently the co-chair for the Equity and Social Justice Initiative at BSCS.

Reasons I’m excited about this project:

I have worked with Dr. Donovan and Dr. Busch on a previous project related to climate change and motivated reasoning. I’m excited to come back to this incredibly important area of science education for the modern world.

Bio

Experience or expertise/projects of note:

Holds a Master of Library & Information Science, a Bachelor of Arts in History – has worked/continues to work on the FieldScope, a networked field studies platform for various participatory science projects that has also been used to develop educational supports, OpenSciEd Middle School, which provides open-source science units for middle school teachers, and STeLLA Online, which focuses on providing a wider group of teachers access to the proven STeLLA professional development program in an online environment.

Reasons I’m excited about this project:

I love that this project focuses on making a positive impact on the world by helping students to connect the effects of climate change to their local contexts, allowing for better understanding of the vital need for both societal and local change. I hope this unit inspires students to help enact positive changes as they grow in the world.

Bio

Experience or expertise/projects of note:  

I enjoy writing and designing lessons because I feel it engages my creative side, which is neglected sometimes in the teaching of science.  I have written activity based units on Chromosomal Disease and Punnett Squares that I presented at the Fall Oregon Science Teachers Conference.  With Oregon Sea Grant, I have developed lessons on Invasive Species.  I  have piloted new units on Evolution, Fieldscope, and Covid-19.  One of the highlights of my career is starting “Watershed Fridays” to provide relevant, field-based, experiential experiences for students twice a month on Fridays, when our school transitioned to a 4-day school week.

Reasons I’m excited about this project:

 I am excited to be involved with this project because I get to contribute as a member of a nationwide team.  A strong unit on climate change can help students understand the challenge we face and provide pathways for a solution.

Bio

Experience or expertise/projects of note:

Knowles Teaching Fellow, National Association of Biology Teachers (NABT) Outstanding Biology Teacher, NABT Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) Committee Chair, Alabama Connections and Academy JEDI Committee Co-Chair.

Reasons I’m excited about this project:

I love developing curriculum that is meaningful for students, especially as it relates to equity and justice and localizing the material. It is such an honor to learn from everyone on the team and I hope to grow in my curriculum writing skills. Thank you for this wonderful opportunity!

Bio

Experience or expertise/projects of note: 

• I’ve taught science for 13 years to students in the state of Arizona.  
• I currently teach all high school science courses for students grades 9 – 12 at Grand Canyon High School, including Environmental Science, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, AP Biology, and AP Environmental Science.  
• I lead a trip for students to participate in a whitewater rafting trip in conjunction with Grand Canyon Youth and the support of Grand Canyon National Park and Outdoor Leadership Academy that provides a focus around climate change and environmental advocacy.

Reasons I’m excited about this project: 

• The opportunity to contribute to an evidence-based curriculum freely available to teachers on climate change.  
• To gain exposure to ideas, learning, and professional development to help me improve my craft on teaching climate change and environmental education.  
• Living in the Southwest, and especially in Grand Canyon National Park, means the heat and water scarcity effects of climate change are constantly before me.  For my students, it is a part of their everyday lives as they consider wildfire danger living in a conifer forest, water availability from the Colorado River, snowpack levels throughout the mountain west, growing crops in a region experiencing aridification, and health impacts – especially for students living in the Navajo, Hopi, Havasupai, and other surrounding tribal nations.  For students of these groups, disparate water access and increasing temperatures pose significant cultural and daily challenges.  As the Grand Canyon region feel the impacts of climate change, my students will also see the consequences in the species composition of the area, such as heat stress of the juniper-pinyon forests.  
• This project is an opportunity to help my students become democratically engaged citizens who will act on issues of climate science.

Bio

Experience or expertise/projects of note:

M.A. in Curriculum and Instruction/University of Colorado at Colorado Springs (UCCS), B.S. in Environmental Science with an emphasis in Microbiology/Northern Arizona University (NAU).  I have spent the last 19 years in the field of science education; 10 years in middle school and 9 years at high school, teaching Physics, Biology and Environmental Science. Throughout the last four years I have taken part, as a mentor teacher, in a research partnership between BSCS science learning and UCCS. This research aims to enhance the effectiveness and coherence of secondary science teacher education programs. To increase coherence, I have presented lessons to preservice teachers and worked with a team of fellow mentor teachers and instructors at the University, developing curriculum to incorporate into teacher education classes at UCCS.  The modifications to the science teacher education program helps to develop a common language and use of effective science teaching strategies to better prepare our future science teachers. 

Reasons I’m excited about this project:

Presenting the effects of climate change using local places or events that students have experienced is very different from showing them the melting sea ice of the arctic or flooding in coastal areas far from where they live. Localizing climate change can be an avenue to inspire students to take action or at the very least to increase awareness that the effects of climate change are far reaching. This approach helps students to make sense of climate change by connecting it with their knowledge and experiences in the places where they are growing up.  These lessons will engage students in ways that typical climate change lessons have been unable to do.

Bio

Experience or expertise/projects of note:

Rebecca co-authored the high school edition of the textbook Biology Now and has created educational resources for the National Center for Science Education, Science Friday, PBS NewsHour, MiniOne Systems, and the graphic novel, The Curie Society. She is also currently writing curriculum for the Science Education Partnership at the Fred Hutch Cancer Research Center.

Reasons I’m excited about this project:  

I am most excited to get my students examining local climate change evidence and co-designing engaging curriculum alongside the BSCS team.

Bio

Experience or expertise/projects of note:

B.S. in Chemistry from Christian Brothers University, and M.A. in Curriculum and Instruction from Tennessee Technological University. Science teacher for nine years (middle school 5 years, high school 4 years). I worked with BSCS once in middle school to film their body systems lesson flow, and again while in high school to film their climate change unit. I love working and learning as much as I can, and a project that reflects this is my participation in UTC’s Research Experience for Teachers focused on Engineering & Data Analytics in Smart Cities. Last summer, I worked with a partner and professors to develop a quarter-long PBL where students were tasked to research environmental problems and solutions that incorporate machine learning. Below are the top two posters created by my students. I will be working again this summer to develop a PBL centered around chemistry.

Reasons I’m excited about this project:

I hope to be helpful to teachers wanting to develop their practice in storyline driven units in science. I am a huge believer that students learn best when they are able to make connections to their real world experiences, and I understand that not all students have access to the same experiences. The curriculum takes that into consideration and provides accessible experiences for students and works to help students develop their own questions and ideas surrounding the science topics. I am excited to provide assistance and encouragement to teachers wanting to bring this dynamic curriculum to their students.

Bio

Experience or expertise/projects of note:

Long-term interest in learning progressions for environmental science literacy.  Human Energy Systems in the Carbon TIME project focuses on global carbon cycling and how humans are affecting it.

Reasons I’m excited about this project:

I am particularly interested in (a) assessments using learning progressions, (b) working on helping students to understand how scientists analyze, quantify, and communicate about uncertainty and risk, (c) preparation for future learning, and (d) some ideas about PD–helping teachers manage school expectations around management, content, and grading.

Bio

Experience or expertise/projects of note:

lead Youth-focused Community and Citizen Science 10 cases in CA, also project on youth learning through natural history museum-lead CCS (NSF AISL), PI Our Forests in school elementary forest monitoring (NSF DRK-12) – all with Environmental Science Agency as a frame, middle and high school science teacher for 5 years, train secondary science teachers, teach participatory action research methods.

Reasons I’m excited about this project:

To see how ESA is getting applied to new contexts and really operationalized and built-upon and improved as a working concept! And how to actually design for the ESA goals. And to engage with all these climate change science and education experts.

Bio

Experience or expertise/projects of note:

Part of the NRC Framework Committee, co-chaired NRC Committee on assessing the NGSS, funded by NSF and foundations to develop assessments for the NGSS for classroom formative use at MS and ES, was part of a team funded by NSF focused on climate change education with emphasis on zoos and aquariums, PI of project leading to revision of AP bio, chem & physics curriculum frameworks and assessments.

Reasons I’m excited about this project: 

It’s really important and needed and it poses a number of real design and implementation challenges to come up with something that can work and is transportable/generalizable  across schools, districts and states.

Bio

Experience or expertise/projects of note:

My research has focused on climate messaging and communication that supports climate action. In particular, I investigate psycho-social factors such as social norms and networks. In addition, I was a secondary school teacher for 12 years and an informal environmental educator prior.

Reasons I’m excited about this project:

I think this project is seeking to create a curriculum that hits all the implications for practice that I have been arguing for in my research!  I am excited to see such important work come to fruition!

Bio

Experience or expertise/projects of note:

At both Cal Poly Pomona and BSCS Science Learning I worked on the STeLLA video based professional development approach  from its inception.

Reasons I’m excited about this project:

I am excited to see such a serious attempt to support climate change learning in ways that goes beyond just “the science.”

Bio

Experience or expertise/projects of note:

PI of place-based energy literacy NSF grant; Researcher on EPSCoRE grant for SSI student learning about localized changes due to climate change (at 10th grade, 6th grade,  and 3rd grade).

Reasons I’m excited about this project:

To see how it’s localized by teachers, to see students take up ownership of their learning in the unit and teach others about what they are learning.