More SIG member profiles will be posted here soon! Thanks to Megan Frary, our Member Profiles Editor, who you can contact at [email protected] to suggest a member to profile or to offer comments/questions. In alphabetical order my last name:
Josh Caulkins
Director of the Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott, Arizona
How long have you been a member of POD?
Since 2015.
Your discipline/background/expertise:
Earth science, geoscience, and (more recently) educational development
How did you get to your current position?
After graduate school, I was hired as a Science Teaching and Learning Fellow at the University of British Columbia as part of the Carl Wieman Science Education Initiative where I worked with dozens of faculty on their courses. This started me down a path of STEM-focused faculty development positions. After spending time at the University of Rhode Island and Arizona State University, I came to Embry-Riddle in Prescott, AZ in 2021 to serve as the director of the center here.
What aspect of your current job do you enjoy the most?
I am excited about the potential for moving the needle on how universities approach teaching and learning. All of our work is an attempt to shift how we view ourselves as teachers (and learners) as well as to shift how our institutions envision what “good teaching” looks like and what it would mean for our students and faculty when we learn more about how to be “good teachers.” A big part of this is promoting the adoption of more inclusive and equitable teaching practices, and increasing the visibility of those practices. I’m trying to politely (or not-so-politely) disrupt higher education, at least at my institution!
What topic(s) would you appreciate having collaborators to explore with?
Anything! I don’t like working in isolation, which happened when I first arrived at ERAU as a center-of-one during COVID. I enjoy having others to share ideas with to make sure we are best serving the needs of our faculty and students. As it relates to the STEM SIG, I am very interested in equity and inclusion at the course and institutional levels; we’re making progress but still aren’t doing a good enough job, in my opinion. I’d also like to see more collaboration across disciplines inside and outside of STEM on this topic.
What do you like to do outside of work?
I live in northern AZ and have a pair of “rescue” mini-donkeys, Kiko and Dusty. I like to build things and have built several fences and small-but-strong hutch for the donkeys. I also like to go on walks with my spouse, kids, and dogs. I like to explore new places in the world; one of my favorite places was visiting Lake Balaton in Hungary for a total solar eclipse many years ago.
If you could learn to do anything, what would it be?
I would like to know multiple languages so that I could read Russian, German, French, and Mandarin (to name a few).
What is one thing on your bucket list?
Someday I would love to go to northern Scotland and visit the many islands there.
Ken Griffith
Director – STEM Teaching, Engagement and Pedagogy (STEP) Program at the Teaching, Learning & Professional Development Center (TLPDC) at Texas Tech University
Your discipline/background/expertise:
Biology
How did you get to your current position?
I was heavily engaged with the TLPDC as a part of my Howard Hughes Medical Institute Graduate fellowship. Upon completion of that fellowship, I was asked by the TLPDC Executive Director, Suzanne Tapp, if I would be interested in working in the TLPDC part time, as a Graduate Peer Consultant. Four years ago, while looking for a post-doctoral fellowship, Suzanne asked if I would be interested in leading a new STEM faculty development initiative. I enthusiastically accepted the challenge and STEP was born!
What aspect of your current job do you enjoy the most?
Working with faculty. I really enjoy getting to know them and hearing about their experiences on campus.
What topic(s) would you appreciate having collaborators to explore with?
Although the STEP Program is a pure faculty development cohort-style program, we are also heavily engaged with faculty in Discipline-based Education Research (DBER). We are also collaborators on several proposals for extramural funding. We are always looking to collaborate with other centers in our region and across the country.
What do you like to do outside of work?
Cycling. I’m a total cycling fanatic. I ride, I race, I build bikes, I watch professional cycling. My wife has even started watching races with me.
What is your hidden talent?
Talent might be a stretch, but I play several musical instruments.
What is one thing on your bucket list?
You might not be surprised to see that this one is cycling related. Someday, I’d love to be on the side of the road during the Tour de France, Giro d’ Italia, Vuelta a España or Paris-Roubaix.
Tell us something that might surprise us about you…
I started off as a music major!!!
Elizabeth Harris
Director, Collaborative for Engineering Education and Teaching Effectiveness (CEETE) at The University of Wisconsin – Madison
Your discipline/background/expertise:
Cognitive Engineering
How did you get to your current position?
The path to my current position was winding. I pursued early interests in design and technology, which led to behavioral neuroscience and systems engineering as ways to understand how we learn and what environments are needed for effective learning and change. I took my current position because it allows me to use my accumulated skills and experiences to make an impact on things I feel matter such as supporting and improving the quality of education students receive, and the environments that support them in reaching their personal and professional goals.
What aspect of your current job do you enjoy the most?
Collaborating with diverse groups of people to facilitate change and foster inclusive environments that support students, faculty, staff, grad students, and the community in successfully achieving their goals. aka – I love supporting people as they strive to achieve their dreams.
What topic(s) would you appreciate having collaborators to explore with?
Everything! We are currently working on revamping our TA training, and inclusive teaching training.
What do you like to do outside of work?
Hike, paddle, be outside, play with my dog, explore the world, learn new things, spend time with friends and family, make terrible art… the list goes on!
If you could learn to do anything, what would it be?
I love learning new things. Right now I’m learning to paint, and want to learn how to do art welding.
What is one thing on your bucket list?
To visit all 7 continents.
Rachel Horak
Senior Education Specialist at the American Society for Microbiology (ASM)
How long have you been a member of POD?
Since 2019
Your discipline/background/expertise:
Biology and oceanography
How did you get to your current position?
After graduate school, I did an oceanography research-related postdoc and a STEM education-related postdoc. After taking some time off for family, I was interested in a position related to education but realized that a faculty role wasn’t a good fit with young kids at home. I found this position which allows me to work remotely with biology educators around the world.
What aspect of your current job do you enjoy the most?
I most enjoy when I can have one-on-one interactions with microbiology educators. My position isn’t focused on these kinds of interactions, but I really enjoy the opportunities I get to build relationships with educators and support them in designing good courses.
What topic(s) would you appreciate having collaborators to explore with?
I’m currently running for a position on our local school committee due in part to my background in education. I would like to think about how we, as educational developers, can use our expertise to make a difference in our communities (e.g., through public service or as advisors to public bodies).
What do you like to do outside of work?
I recently got certified as a yoga teacher, so I do a lot of yoga. I also swim competitively, enjoy knitting, and have 5 backyard chickens!
If you could learn to do anything, what would it be?
I would like to improve my public speaking skills.
What is one thing on your bucket list?
I would love to take a long vacation with my spouse somewhere sunny!
Lynn Mandeltort
Assistant Director, Center for Teaching Excellence, University of Virginia
How long have you been a member of POD?
Since 2014
Your discipline/background/expertise:
Physical Chemistry
How did you get to your current position?
In grad school I loved the overlap of working with my hands and my mind, and found a delectable and fun challenge in describing my niche work to different audiences. I got curious about teaching as well as the development of teachers—I started reading and saw all these ways of being a more effective communicator and educator. The rich literature foundation for effective teaching was a total revelation for me, and I found a way to focus on that after graduation (this was around the time that active learning was a buzzword and the Freeman PNAS paper was published, and I was completely on board). My first job out of graduate school was a postdoctoral position focused on redeveloping a first year chemistry curriculum, especially laboratories. After that I was a lecturer for large enrollment general chemistry courses at a large public university, and then I taught at a small liberal arts college for several years where I got to teach across the chemistry curriculum and also dabbled in educational development. Those contingent positions were precarious, and I was able to carve out enough educational development experience with the goal of landing a job like the one I have now.
What aspect of your current job do you enjoy the most?
Because there are many ways to teach well, there are also many ways to help people teach well, and I enjoy situations where there are multiple approaches to similar outcomes. I love that we have ways to support instructors within their individual contexts—short term or long term, individually or in groups and cohorts, topical or general. I especially enjoy working with a competent and supportive team in my current job.
What topic(s) would you appreciate having collaborators to explore with?
I’ve been lucky that collaborators are abundant within POD! I presently work with a group trying to reimagine how our one-on-one consultation approaches can be more justice-forward and that group is always welcoming feedback and new perspectives. I’m also interested in team teaching.
What do you like to do outside of work?
I play ultimate frisbee and try to get outside as much as possible. My dog gets a lot of walks. I also enjoy watching and being impressed by people who are good at what they do, no matter how normal or obscure the task (line cooks, people speaking in public, plumbers, skate boarders, my colleagues, hair stylists, etc.—just anyone really doing “their” thing or in a state of flow).
If you could learn to do anything, what would it be?
How to dance to all kinds of music. I love listening to music and moving my body but somehow the connection between those two continues to exist at my learning edge!
What is one thing on your bucket list?
To visit some glaciers before they disappear.
Christine O’Donnell
Education & Diversity Program Manager at the American Physical Society
How long have you been a member of POD?
Since 2019
Your discipline/background/expertise:
Astrophysics
How did you get to your current position?
I currently work as an Education & Diversity Program Manager at the American Physical Society (APS), the largest professional society for physicists. While I enjoyed doing research, I was not motivated to continue on an academic career pathway by becoming a professor. Instead, I wanted to be in a position where I could lead and/or support larger-scale transformations of STEM education. That’s actually how I got involved in POD and the STEM SIG – one of the options I was considering was a career in a university-level center for teaching and learning so that I could work with many faculty across multiple departments. A couple colleagues forwarded me the job ad for my current position APS, and I realized that it fulfilled what I was looking for, but at an even larger nation-wide scale.
What aspect of your current job do you enjoy the most?
I really appreciate being able to support initiatives that will improve student experiences across the country. I also get to work with awesome people, both at APS and externally – we work with so many amazing experts and motivated individuals in physics departments (and beyond!).
What topic(s) would you appreciate having collaborators to explore with?
While my work is largely focused on physics, a lot of what we do is not unique to physics. For example, I work on the Effective Practices for Physics Programs (EP3) Initiative, which has developed a comprehensive guide to support departmental and cultural changes, such as improving recruiting and retention of students; equity, diversity, and inclusion; and departmental processes such as program reviews and strategic planning. While this Guide was developed for physics departments in particular, much of our findings likely apply to other fields. For example, we’ve held workshops with humanities faculty about increasing enrollment using the EP3 Guide. We’re currently gearing up towards our next grant proposal, and I’d love to find collaborators who want to test (and thus improve and strengthen) our resources by working with faculty in multiple departments!
What do you like to do outside of work?
I currently volunteer at the Phoenix Zoo as an Engagement Volunteer, which means I’m one of the people walking around the Zoo who will answer questions, point out animals in our exhibits, and offer fun and important facts about the animals and conservation. I also enjoy maker/crafter hobbies, including glass blowing/lampworking, beading, chainmaille, and crochet/knitting. And I have two black cats who both love having lots of attention focused on them, which often interferes with being able to make/craft anything!
If you could learn to do anything, what would it be?
I’ve always wanted to learn to play an instrument. But something that’s more likely to happen is learning to weld – I would love to add metalworking to my list of skills! And for something that’s far less likely, I’d love to learn to fly, maybe as a pilot or with wingsuit flying.
What is one thing on your bucket list?
Bungee jumping, ideally in New Zealand because I really want to go back to New Zealand!
Jenn Weaver
Lecturer and Associate Director for University Teaching at the California Institute of Technology
Your discipline/background/expertise:
Discipline and background: PhD in ecological modelling (CS meets ecology meets statistics), many years as the instructor of undergraduate physical geography and biology courses,
Expertise: STEM classrooms, inclusive classrooms, active learning, student engagement, faculty development, graduate student development
How did you get to your current position?
Serendipitously. I was a sessional lecturer during and after my doctoral program and knew that teaching had to be a part of my career. While I was a post-doc with Berkeley’s Initiative in Global Change Biology, I discovered the magic of pedagogy and working at a Center for Teaching and Learning. I joined Caltech’s CTLO in 2015.
What aspect of your current job do you enjoy the most?
That moment when faculty or grad students realize how they can engage in active learning with their students, and that they CAN do it. And then when they come back and tell me about it with a huge smile on their face, I’m really proud of them. It’s a small thing, but I think it can make a world of difference in students’ experiences in their classes…… Oh, and teaching my grad class – they’re literally the best and I tremendously admire their ability to be amazing researchers AND teachers.
What topic(s) would you appreciate having collaborators to explore with?
All the things! Effectiveness of pedagogy courses, engaging STEM faculty, inclusive classrooms, faculty with disabilities, program and curriculum assessment, organizational change…
What do you like to do outside of work?
Hiking mountains, running on the beach, Zumba, rock climbing, convincing hiking partners that a vertical outwash really is a trail that we should go on…..
If you could learn to do anything, what would it be?
Sit still.
What is your hidden talent?
I’m a Zumba instructor. Not a hidden talent per se, but an unexpected tidbit of information…
What is one thing on your bucket list?
Visit the Galapagos! An ecologist’s dream.