CCMS Fellows, Students and Alumni
Postdoctoral Fellows
AAAS Postdoctoral Fellows
Cari Herrmann Abell joined CCMS in August 2005 as a postdoctoral fellow after serving as a postdoctoral research associate at the University of Colorado, Boulder in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. She earned her Ph.D. in physical chemistry/materials science from the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, and her B.S. in chemistry/mathematics from Muhlenberg College, Allentown, PA.
NU Postdoctoral Fellows
Andres Archer (no information available)
Virginia Pitts joined CCMS at Northwestern University as a graduate student. In summer 2006 she defended her dissertation, Do Students Buy In? A Study of Student Goal and Role Adoption by Students in Project-Based Curricula (view the abstract).She earned her M.A. in learning sciences from Northwestern, and her B.S. in industrial engineering and management from Oklahoma State University. Currently, she is a postdoctoral fellow at Northwestern.
UM Graduate Students
Jennifer Eklund (no information available)
Graduate Students
MSU Graduate Students
Ming-Jun Bae (no information available)
Rebecca Forthoffer (no information available)
Aroutis Foster (no information available)
Huin Jin (no information available
John Lockhart (no information available)
David McLaughlin joined CCMS in the fall of 2005 as a graduate student in the College of Education at Michigan State University after teaching middle school math and science in Colombia, Turkey, and Thailand. He earned his M.A. in curriculum and teaching from Michigan State , his B.Ed. in science education from Queens University , and his B.Sc. in biology from University of Western Ontario.
NU Graduate Students
Jonathan Boxerman (no information available)
Brandy Buckingham (no information available)
Heather Johnson joined CCMS as a graduate student in the Learning Sciences at Northwestern University in September 2004 and is expected to complete her Ph.D. in June 2010. She earned her Masters of Teaching and B.A. in environmental sciences from the University of Virginia.
Mon-lin Ko (no information available)
Melissa Luna (no information available)
Kirsten Mawyer joined CCMS as a second-year graduate student at Northwestern University in September 2004 and is expected to complete her Ph.D. in December 2009. She earned a B.A. in geology and a B.A. in English from Amherst College.
Su Swarat joined CCMS in the fall of 2005 as a third-year graduate student in the Learning Sciences Program at Northwestern University. She is currently on leave from the Ph.D, program and is working as a researcher at Northwestern. She holds an M.S. in ecology and evolutionary biology from Purdue University and a B.S. in biochemistry and molecular biology from Peking University.
Jessica Umphress (no information available)
UM Graduate Students
Nonye Alozie joined CCMS as a first-year graduate student at the University of Michigan in October 2004. She earned her B.S. in biology from UCLA.
William Bobrowsky has worked with CCMS at the University of Michigan, where he has been a graduate student since 1999. He earned an M.A.T. in secondary science education at Boston University, an M.S. in educational technologies at the University of Michigan, and a B.A. in geology at Boston University.
Mary Heitzman has worked with CCMS at the University of Michigan, where she has been a graduate student since 2002. She earned an M.S. in chemistry at the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth in 2002 and a B.S. in chemistry at Lehigh University.
Michele Nelson (no information available)
Joi Merritt joined CCMS as a first-year graduate student at the University of Michigan in September 2004. She earned her B.S. in engineering and chemical engineering from the University of Michigan.
Anna Switzer joined CCMS as a graduate student in science education at the University of Michigan and will defend her dissertation in July 2009. She received her M.S. in marine science from North Carolina State University and her B.A. in physics from Kenyon College in Ohio.
Richard Vath (no information available)
Molly Yunker joined CCMS in 2005 as a graduate student at the University of Michigan. She earned her B.S. and M.S. in geological sciences from Case Western Reserve University.
Alumni
AAAS Alumni
Deirdre Black joined AAAS Project 2061 in August 2003 as a CCMS postdoctoral fellow. She obtained her Ph.D. in theoretical particle physics from Syracuse University, New York, and her M.S. in mathematical science from the University College Dublin, Ireland. In March 2005, she relocated to the U.K. and is curently a research fellow in the Department of Physics at University of Cambridge.
MSU Alumni
Beth Covitt joined CCMS in the August 2005 as a postdoctoral fellow in the College of Education at Michigan State University. She earned her Ph.D. in environmental education and conservation psychology in 2003 and her M.S. in resource policy and behavior in 1998, both from the University of Michigan. She is now a Visiting Assistant Professor at Michigan State.
Mark Enfield recently accepted a position as a Research Associate at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He joined CCMS at Michigan State as a postdoctoral fellow in the School of Education. He earned his M.Ed. at the University of Central Oklahoma in Edmond and his B.S. in physics at East Central University, Ada, Oklahoma.
Dean Grosshandler joined CCMS in November 2004 as a first-year postdoctoral fellow in the College of Education at Michigan State University. In 2007, Dr. Grosshandler left MSU to become Associate Director at the newly created Office of STEM Education Partnerships (OSEP) at Northwestern University. He earned his Ph.D. in mathematics, science, and technology education at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and his M.S.T. and B.A. at the University of Chicago.
David Grueber joined CCMS as a graduate student in the Department of Teacher Education at Michigan State University. In 2008 he completed his Ph.D. and accepted a position as Assistant Professor in Teacher Education at Wayne State University. He received his B.S. in biology from the University of Michigan and a Teaching Certificate from Concordia College, Ann Arbor.
Kristin Gunckel joined CCMS as a graduate student in the Department of Teacher Education at Michigan State University. In 2008 after defending her dissertation, Preservice Elementary Teachers Learning to Use Curriculum Tools to Plan and Teach Science Lessons, she accepted a position as Assistant Professor at the University of Arizona, Tucson. She has an M.S. in geology from the University of Montana and a B.S. in geology (with a minor in watershed science) from Colorado State University, and obtained teacher certification in secondary science from the University of New Mexico.
Felicia Moore is currently an Assistant Professor of Science Education at Teachers College, Columbia University. Dr. Moore had been a CCMS postdoctoral fellow at Michigan State University. She earned her Ph.D. in science education from Florida State University.
Blakely Tsurusaki joined CCMS as a first-year graduate student at Michigan State University in August 2004. In 2008 she received her Ph.D. and accepted a position as Assistant Professor in the Department of Teacher Education at Washington State University, Pullman. Her dissertation was entitled Dissertation: Connecting School Science and Students’ Everyday Lives She has earned a Georgia Educator Certificate in biology, an M.Ed. in science education from the University of Georgia, and a B.S. in biology from the University of Puget Sound.
Michelle Williams (no information available)
Christopher Wilson joined CCMS in August 2005 as a postdoctoral fellow in the College of Education at Michigan State University after receiving his Ph.D. in zoology (evolutional biology) from Michigan State in 2000. In summer 2007, Dr. Wilson left Michigan State to join BSCS as a research specialist. His B.Sc. in zoology was from the University of Liverpool, UK.
NU Alumni
Ravit Golan Duncan recently accepted a joint faculty position in the School of Education and the Division of Life Sciences at Rutgers University. She joined CCMS in June 2003 as a graduate research assistant at Northwestern University’s School of Education and completed her Ph.D. in 2005. She earned an M.S. in biology from the University of Illinois at Chicago and a B.Sc. in biology from Hebrew University in Jerusalem.
Dr. Golan Duncan's dissertation was titled Reasoning in Molecular Genetics: From a Cognitive Model to Instructional Design. View the abstract.
Kemi Jona joined CCMS in November 2004 as a mid-career postdoctoral fellow in the School of Education and Social Policy at Northwestern University. He received his Ph.D. in computer science from Northwestern and is now a Research Associate Professor and Director of the Office of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math Education Partnerships (OSEP) at Northwestern.
Lisa Kenyon recently accepted a position at Wright State University in Dayton, OH, as an Assistant Professor specializing in the biological sciences. She joined CCMS at Northwestern as a postdoctoral fellow in the School of Education and Social Policy. Dr. Kenyon received her Ed.D. in curriculum and instruction—science education from the University of Houston, her M.S. in wildlife and fisheries science from Texas A&M, and her B.S. in biology from the University of Missouri—Kansas City.
Leema Kuhn joined CCMS as a third-year graduate student in 2004 after entering the Northwestern University graduate program in September 2002. In July 2008 she defended her dissertation, Understanding the Composite Culture that Forms when Classrooms Take Up the Practice of Scientific Argumentation (view abstract), and accepted a position as Assistant Professor at the University of Texas, Austin. She earned her B.A. in computer science with a concentration in educational studies from Carleton College in Northfield, MN.
Eleni Kyza accepted a position as Postdoctoral Associate in educational sciences at the University of Cyprus. She had been a doctoral candidate in the Learning Sciences Program at Northwestern University. She earned her Ed.M. in technology in education from Harvard University, her B.S. in elementary education with a concentration in educational media and technology from Boston University, and her Teacher’s Diploma from the Pedagogical Academy of Cyprus.
Dr. Kyza's dissertation was titled Understanding Reflection-in-Action: An Investigation into Middle-School Students' Reflective Inquiry Practices in Science and the Role That Software Scaffolding Can Play. View the abstract.
Eunmi Lee came to CCMS as a postdoctoral fellow at Northwestern University after completing her dissertation, Conceptualizing Pedagogical Content Knowledge from the Perspective of Experienced Secondary Science Teachers, at the University of Texas at Austin. She left CCMS to accept a position as Assistant Professor of Education at Dominican University in Illinois. Prior to joining CCMS, she taught middle and high school Earth science in Korea.
Victor Lee joined CCMS in the fall of 2005 as a Ph.D. student in the Learning Sciences Program at Northwestern University, where he worked on research in conceptual change and science and math education. In November 2008 he defended his dissertation, Getting the Picture: A Mixed-Methods Inquiry Into How Visual Representations Are Interpreted by Students, Incorporated Within Textbooks, and Integrated Into Middle-School Science Classrooms (view abstract), and accepted a position in 2009 as Assistant Professor in the Department of Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences at Utah State University. Before attending Northwestern, he graduated from University of California, San Diego with degrees in mathematics/applied science (B.A.) and cognitive science (B.A.) with a specialization in human-computer interaction.
Rosemary Russ (no information available)
Jennifer Schwarz recently accepted a position overseeing education programs for the Center for Learning and Teaching based at the Chicago Botanic Garden. She earned her Ph.D. and M.A. at Northwestern University in the Learning Sciences program.
Dr. Schwarz's dissertation was titled Describing Content in Middle School Science Curricula. View the abstract.
Pratim Sengupta joined the Learning Sciences Ph.D. Program at Northwestern University in August 2004 and CCMS in the fall term of 2005. He will complete his Ph.D. in August 2009 and will then join Vanderbilt University as an Assistant Professor. Prior to joining the Learning Sciences Program, he was a doctoral candidate in physics. He completed his undergraduate education in physics at Presidency College, Calcutta and the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, both in India.
Darlene Slusher is an Assistant Professor of Chemistry/Physics at Coastal Carolina University. She had been a CCMS postdoctoral fellow in the School of Education and Social Policy at Northwestern University. She received her Ph.D. and M.S. in earth and atmospheric science and her B.S. in chemistry from the Georgia Institute of Technology.
Carrie Tzou left Northwestern University in 2006 to begin a postdoctoral position at the Learning in Informal and Formal Environments Center (LIFE), a Science of Learning center at the University of Washington. In December 2005, she successfully defended her dissertation, Inquiry Science as a Discourse: New Challenges for Teachers, Students, and the Design of Curriculum Materials. View the abstract. Dr. Tzou earned her M.S. in teaching and learning from Vanderbilt University, and her B.S. in biology and B.A. in English from Stanford University.
UM Alumni
Carrie Beyer successfully defended her dissertation, Using Reform-Based Criteria to Support the Development of Preservice Elementary Teachers' Pedagogical Design Capacity for Analyzing Science Curriculum Materials (view abstract), in May 2009 and will continue working part-time doing research or teaching at the University of Michigan.
Jay Fogleman was a doctoral student at the University of Michigan. He recently took a position as Assistant Professor in the School of Education at the University of Rhode Island. He earned his M.A.T. degree at The Johns Hopkins University in 1991.
Cory Forbes joined CCMS at the University of Michigan in September 2004 as a first-year graduate student. He successfully defended his dissertation, Preservice Elementary Teachers' Development of Pedagogical Design Capacity for Inquiry: An Activity—Theoretical Perspective in May 2009 (view abstract), and will join the faculty in the College of Education at the University of Iowa as an Assistant Professor of Science Education. He earned his Kansas 7–12 Teaching Certification in biology, chemistry, and physical science, his M.S. in curriculum and instruction, and his B.S. in biology (Systematics & Ecology) from the University of Kansas.
Magnia George recently accepted a position as an Assistant Professor of Science Education at Emory University in Atlanta. She joined CCMS at Michigan as a postdoctoral fellow in the School of Education. She earned her Ph.D. in science education from the University of Texas at Austin.
Christopher Harris joined CCMS at the University of Michigan as a graduate student in 2003. In summer 2006 he completed his Ph.D. in the University’s Combined Program in Education and Psychology, and became a faculty member at the University of Arizona. He recently joined the SRI Center for Technology in Learning, Menlo Park, CA as a researcher. Dr. Harris earned an M.A. in psychology from the University of Michigan, an M.A. in education from the University of California at Berkeley, and a B.S. in education from SUNY College Buffalo. Dr. Harris’ dissertation was entitled Investigating Teaching Practices and Student Learning During the Enactment of an Inquiry-Based Chemistry Unit.
Lisa Scott Holt accepted a position as a Research Scientist at Soar Technology in Ann Arbor, MI. While at CCMS, she was a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Michigan School of Education. She earned her Ph.D. in cognitive studies in education from the University of Pittsburgh and her B.S. in physics and mathematics from Alleghany College.
Katherine McNeill joined CCMS at the University of Michigan as a graduate student. In summer 2006 she defended her dissertation, Supporting Students' Construction of Scientific Explanation Through Curricular Scaffolds and Teacher Instructional Practices (view abstract), and accepted a position at Boston College. She received her B.A. with a double concentration in biology and English from Brown University.
Jeff Nordine has worked with CCMS as a graduate student at the University of Michigan since 2004. He recently received his Ph.D. and will take a position as Assistant Professor at Trinity University. He earned his M.A.T. at Trinity, his M.A. in educational administration and policy at the University of Michigan, and his B.A. in physics at Trinity.
Phil Piety joined CCMS as a graduate student at the University of Michigan in 2004 and received his Ph.D. in 2008. His dissertation was entitled, Evidence of System: A Network Model Case-study of Seventh Grade Science Assessment Practices from Classrooms to the State Test (view abstract). He earned an M.A. in communication, culture and technology from Georgetown University and a B.S. in information systems/computer science from the University of Maryland.
Julia Plummer joined CCMS at the University of Michigan as a graduate student in 2003. She defended her dissertation, Elementary Students Learning About the Apparent Motions of Celestial Objects (view abstract), in summer 2006 and accepted an Assistant Professorship for the fall term at Arcadia University. She earned her M.S. in astrophysics at the University of Michigan and her B.S. in physics at Washington State University.
Aaron Rogat, formerly a CCMS postdoctorate fellow at the University of Michigan School of Education, accepted a position for the fall 2006 term as a Research Associate in the Graduate School of Education at the University of Pennsylvania, where he will also contribute to the work of the Consortium for Policy Research in Education (CPRE) and the Merck Institute for Science Education (MISE) in Rahway, NJ. Dr. Rogat received his Ph.D. in molecular cell biology from Washington University in St. Louis and his B.A. in biology from the University of Oregon in Eugene.
Yael Shwartz joined CCMS in 2005 as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Michigan . She earned her Ph.D. in science education from the Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel in 2004 and had taught high school chemistry for many years. Her interests include science literacy, public understanding of science, informal learning, and chemistry learning at the middle and high school levels.
Julie Smithey (no information available)
Shawn Stevens joined CCMS in 2005 as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Michigan and has since been promoted as a Research Investigator at UM. She earned her A.B. in chemistry from the University of Chicago and her Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Michigan.
