Project Kaleidoscope (PKAL) — Advancing what works in STEM education

Advisory Board Members' Biographical Sketches

Members

Scott Bierman
Scott Bierman, an economist with 27 years of teaching and leadership experience in liberal arts education, is the 11th president of Beloit College. The former academic dean of Carleton College was selected from among an international pool of candidates earlier this year. He assumed the office of president at Beloit in July, 2009. President Bierman earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics and mathematics from Bates College in Lewiston, Maine and received his Ph.D. in economics from the University of Virginia. His fields of interest include economics of the public sector, industrial organization, game theory and experimental economics. He is the co-author of a book on game theory and has designed teaching materials accompanying various textbooks in economics. He has been active in the world of higher education as a member of external review committees and other advisory groups for colleges here and abroad.

Elizabeth Boylan
Elizabeth S. Boylan joined the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation in July 2011 and directs the Foundation’s programs on STEM Education, including pipeline programs for underrepresented groups and student retention. She also works with other program directors on developing grants for the Foundation’s Civic Initiatives program. Dr. Boylan comes to the Foundation from Barnard College where she served as Provost and Dean of the Faculty, and Professor of Biological Sciences for 16 years. At Barnard, she oversaw several major initiatives to enhance the facilities and programming of the College’s science departments, led the first systematic review of its general education requirements since the 1980's, and was involved in various faculty development and leadership projects. Prior to her work at Barnard, she was associate provost for academic planning and programs at Queens College/CUNY. She was a tenured member of the biology faculty at Queens College, and served as Deputy Chair of Graduate Studies for four years; she also was on the biology faculty of the CUNY Graduate Center. She chaired of the Queens College Academic Senate for three years, and was co-chair of University-wide efforts in program reform in science, engineering, technology and mathematics, and in secondary education. From 1999 through 2004 she served as Commissioner on the Commission on Higher Education of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools. A specialist in developmental biology and hormonal carcinogenesis, She earned a Ph.D. in zoology from Cornell University and a bachelor's degree in biological sciences from Wellesley College. She was a postdoctoral fellow in biochemistry and oncology at the University of Rochester. She holds a U.S. patent and has been a consultant for, among others, the National Cancer Institute, the National Science Foundation and the American Cancer Society.

Michael C. Burke
Michael Burke is a Professor of Mathematics at the College of San Mateo. He received an M.A. in Education from Stanford University and an M.A. in Mathematics from the University of Oregon. He has been teaching at the College of San Mateo since 1976, and he is particularly fond of teaching both the Liberal Arts Mathematics course and the Mathematics and Global Issues course. Michael was recently named a Carnegie Scholar by the Carnegie Foundation, one of twenty Carnegie Scholars in the nation. His work as a Carnegie Scholar focused on integrative learning, the idea that mathematics, in particular, should not be taught as a completely separate discipline, in isolation from all other disciplines; rather, mathematics offers a powerful way to understand the world and to attack many of the problems that arise in other disciplines. Michael works to incorporate this spirit into every class he teaches. Michael spent his junior year of college at the University of Sussex in England, and remembers vividly the excitement of that year. Since then, he has returned to Europe many times, often visiting London. Michael taught for the College of San Mateo London Semester in 1988 and the Paris Semester in 2008.

George Forsythe
George B. "Barney" Forsythe earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the United States Military Academy at West Point, and a M.A.C.T. degree in Social Psychology and a Ph.D. in Education from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Dr. Forsythe was appointed as the 20th President of Westminster College in February 2008, after serving as Acting President since October 2007. He came to the College in 2005 as Senior Vice President of the College and Dean of Faculty following his retirement from the United States Army in the grade of Brigadier General after 35 years of commissioned service. Prior to joining the Westminster community, he served at the U. S. Military Academy as the Vice Dean for Education for nine years. From 1977 to 1980, he was an instructor and assistant professor in the Department of Behavioral Sciences and Leadership at West Point. He returned to the Military Academy in 1984 as an associate professor and was promoted to Professor of Psychology and Leadership in 1991. In 1991 he founded the Center for Leadership and Organizations Research and served as the center director until 1996. From 1994 to June, 1996, he served on the Dean's staff as the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. His current research involves leadership development, college student development, and assessment.

Jeremy Haefner
Jeremy Haefner was appointed Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost at RIT in 2008. Before joining RIT, Dr. Haefner served in a number of administrative roles at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs including concurrent appointments as vice chancellor for research and innovation, dean of the Graduate School, Dean of the College of Engineering and Applied Science, director of the Colorado Institute for Technology Transfer and Implementation. He also was chair of the mathematics department, director of the campus-wide Teaching and Learning Center, faculty associate for information technology and faculty associate for teaching and learning, and professor of mathematics at UCCS. He joined the faculty at the University of Colorado in 1989 after spending three years at the University of Tennessee Knoxville. Dr. Haefner’s research expertise includes the mathematics of integral representation, module and matrix theory; he has published widely and has been externally supported by a number of funding agencies. He developed the program in Applications in Technology for Mathematics Education in 1995, which provides technology training to students interested in careers in mathematics education. He also has co-developed the MathOnline program and the system-wide CU Online Tutoring program, which provides university-level mathematics courses and tutoring over the internet to high school students across the State of Colorado. Dr. Haefner was an American Council on Education Fellow in 2006-2007 and spent his fellowship year under the mentorship of President John C. Cavanaugh at the University of West Florida.

JK Haynes
JK Haynes is the David Packard Professor in Science and Dean of the Division of Science and Mathematics at Morehouse College.  He graduated from Morehouse College with a B.S. degree in Biology in 1964 and went on to earn a Ph.D. in Biology from Brown University.  After completing post-doctoral fellowships at Brown and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, he joined the faculty in the Division of Molecular Medicine at Meharry Medical College. In 1978, he returned to Morehouse as an associate professor of Biology and Director of the Office of Health Professions, and in 1981 was appointed a full professor of Biology.  He served as chairman of the department of Biology from 1985-1999 at which time he was appointed Dean of the Division of Science and Mathematics. He served on the Minorities Affairs Committee of the American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB) for six years as chair and an additional three years as vice-chair. He has served on two National Academy of Science Committees and has been a member of the Committee on Equal Opportunities in Science and Engineering (CEOSE), which advises the National Science Foundation. He currently a member of two other NSF Advisory Committees. From 2005-08, he served as co-chair of the College Board Biology Commission.

Paul Kuerbis
Paul Kuerbis received his BA in Biology from St. Mary's College (California), his Masters in Zoology from UCLA, and his Ph.D. in science education from the University of California, Berkeley. He has taught science at the middle, high school, and community college levels, and has taught biology and integrated science courses at Colorado College. Currently he serves as the Director of the Crown Teaching and Learning Center, the College’s center for faculty development and is also the Director of the Colket Student Learning Center.

Jay B. Labov
Jay Labov is senior staff member of the National Research Council’s Center for Education. Dr. Labov is the Senior Advisor for Education and Communications, splitting his time between the Center for Education and the National Academies’ Office of Communications. In this capacity, Dr. Labov leads an institution-wide effort to leverage the National Academies' work in education by helping to make more deliberate connections between the work of the Center for Education, the National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, and the program units of the National Research Council. He is the principal liaison on education activities between the program units of the National Academies and its Office of Communications, with the goal of enhancing communication with outside stakeholders about the Academies' work in education and the public's understanding of science and technology. He has been Director of the Center’s Committee on Undergraduate Science Education and oversees the National Academy of Science’s efforts to improve the teaching of evolution in the public schools. Prior to assuming his position at the NRC Dr. Labov was a member of the biology faculty for 18 years at Colby College in Waterville Maine.

Elizabeth F. McCormack
Elizabeth F. McCormack received her bachelor's degree in astronomy and physics from Wellesley College in 1983 and her Ph.D. in physics from Yale University in 1989. Thereafter, she joined the Laser Photophysics and Photochemistry program at Argonne National Laboratory as a Postdoctoral Research Associate. In 1990 she was awarded an Alexander Hollaender Distinguished Postdoctoral Fellowship. In 1991 she accepted a permanent staff position in the Laser Photophysics and Photochemistry program, and in 1993 she was promoted to the position of Physicist. In 1995 she joined the faculty at Bryn Mawr College and began a research program in molecular physics with funding from a CAREER award from the NSF. She was promoted with tenure to the associate rank in 2001 and in 2005 was promoted to Professor.  In her research she investigates fundamental aspects of molecular excited state-structure and dynamics using a variety of laser spectroscopy techniques.  Her interests include Rydberg and ion-pair state dynamics, photoionization, autoionization, predissociation, and photodissociation.  Her techniques include resonant multiphoton excitation and detection, time-of-flight mass spectroscopy, and resonant, four-wave mixing in the frequency and time domains.  She has published over 30 peer-reviewed articles and has received support for her work from the NSF and NASA throughout her time at Bryn Mawr.  In 2005 she was elected a Fellow of the APS. In 2006-2007 she served as Chair of the Faculty and in 2007 she received the College’s McPherson Prize for Faculty. She is a member of the American Physical Society, the Association for Women in Science,the American Association for Physics Teachers, and a Faculty 21 member of Project Kaleidoscope. She serves on the Board of Directors of The Research Corporation for Science Advancement.

Pamela Menke
Pamela Menke joined Miami Dade College in 2006 and now serves as Vice Provost, Education.  In that capacity, she provides leadership for academic and student affairs, institutional effectiveness, college training and development, workforce education and development, and faculty initiatives. She has been a key leader in the MDC Collegewide Student Learning Outcomes project, in the development of baccalaureate programs, and in Collegewide mathematics projects, including the MDC Quality Enhancement Plan to strengthen student progress in high risk, developmental and college-level mathematics courses. As Professor of English and Vice President, Academic Affairs, at Regis College (Massachusetts), she introduced the three-year baccalaureate degree in 16 programs, including Computer Science, Information Systems, Human Computer Interaction, Nursing and Biology and the linked, one-year masters (3 + 1). She championed the development of an integrated first- and second-year student experience and the creation of the Student Success Center which contributes to each student’s intentional achievement of personal, academic, and career goals through an individualized Life and Learning Plan. Her other senior posts include District Vice President of Education for Trident Technical College (Charleston, SC); Academic Dean, St. Mary Dominican’s College (New Orleans); Director, Division of Education Programs, National Endowment for the Humanities; Provost and Dean of Faculty, Colby-Sawyer College (New Hampshire); and Provost, Lesley University (Massachusetts).She holds a Masters and Ph.D. in English from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Alison Morrison-Shetlar
Alison I. Morrison-Shetlar was recently appointed the Dean of Elon College, the College of Arts and Sciences, at Elon University. Prior to this appointment, she was the Vice Provost and Dean of Undergraduate Studies and Professor of Biology at the University of Central Florida (UCF). In 1984 Dr. Morrison-Shetlar received her doctorate from Dundee College of Technology and was a Research Scientist at the Kennedy Institute for Rheumatology, London, UK. A move to the United States in 1993 brought her to teach and research at Wesleyan University and Trinity College in Connecticut and in 1995 she joined the Biology Department at Georgia Southern University. While at Georgia Southern University, Dr. Morrison-Shetlar was a faculty member and Director of the Center for Excellence in Teaching. She was also awarded the Board of Regents Distinguished Professor of Teaching and Learning in 1998 and again in 1999. At the university she was awarded the University Excellence in Teaching award, and the College of Science and Technology Excellence in Teaching award in 2001. Dr. Morrison-Shetlar joined UCF in 2002 as Director of the Faculty Center for Teaching and Learning where she has built strong programs to support faculty and GTA teaching and learning success. She was appointed Dean of Undergraduate Studies in April 2007 and Vice Provost and Dean of Undergraduate Studies in September 2008. Dr. Morrison-Shetlar is co-author of Teaching Creatively: Ideas in Action (Outernet Publishing, 2001) with Dr. Mary Marwitz and has numerous publications on her scientific and educational research.

Muriel Poston
Muriel Poston, PhD, is a Professor in the Biology Department at Skidmore College.  She joined Skidmore College in 2005 as Dean of the Faculty and has recently been appointed as Division Director for the Human Resource Division in the Education Directorate at the National Science Foundation.  Her  interests in undergraduate education include efforts to broaden the participation of underrepresented students and faculty in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines and enhancing the capacity and infrastructure of the STEM facilities. Her primary research interests are in plant systematics, especially the evolutionary relationships of the neotropical family Loasaceae. Prior to her appointment at Skidmore, Dr. Poston spent over twenty years as a professor in the Department of Biology/Botany at Howard, where she focused on undergraduate education, served as curator of the university herbarium, and worked to develop the environmental science program. Dr. Poston has also as a deputy division director in the Biological Sciences Directorate at the National Science Foundation (NSF) where she was responsible for programs to enhance infrastructure for biological research collections, research instrumentation, and field station facilities. She recently stepped down as the Chair of the congressionally mandated Committee on Equal Opportunities in Science and Engineering and the NSF Advisory Committee for the Biological Sciences Directorate. She also serves as a member of the National Academy of Sciences, National Research Council Board of Life Sciences, the American Institute of Biological Sciences Board of Directors, and the Project Kaleidoscope Advisory Committee. Dr. Poston earned a B.A. degree from Stanford University, M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of California at Los Angeles, and a J.D. degree from the University of Maryland.

Carol Geary Schneider
Carol Geary Schneider is president of the Association of American Colleges and Universities. With more than 1,250 member institutions, AAC&U is the leading national organization devoted to advancing and strengthening undergraduate liberal education. Under her leadership, AAC&U launched Liberal Education and America’s Promise (LEAP), a public advocacy and campus action initiative designed to engage students and the public with what really matters in a college education for the twenty-first century. The LEAP campaign builds on AAC&U’s major effort, Greater Expectations: The Commitment to Quality as a Nation Goes to College, a multi-year initiative designed to articulate the aims of a twenty-first century liberal education and to identify comprehensive, innovative models that improve learning for all undergraduate students. While a vice president at AAC&U in the 1990’s, Dr. Schneider headed a major initiative at AAC&U on higher education and U.S. pluralism, American Commitments: Diversity, Democracy and Liberal Learning. Dr. Schneider has published extensively on all the major areas of her educational work and has taught at the University of Chicago, DePaul University, Chicago State University and Boston University. Dr. Schneider is a graduate of Mount Holyoke College with a bachelor's degree in history (Magna Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa). She studied at the University of London's Institute for Historical Research and earned the Ph.D. in history from Harvard University. She has also received honorary degrees from Towson University, Wagner College, Westminster College (UT), Prince George's Community College, and the College of Wooster.

Vera Zdravkovich
Vera Zdravkovich served as the Academic Vice President at Prince George’s Community College (PGCC) for eight years until her retirement in 2005.    In this role she led the development of the assessment process of the general education, established Collegian Centers, disciplinary communities to improve student retention and success,  provided leadership to the accreditation reporting, established an International Center and a Technology Resource Center, and expanded and strengthened the faculty professional development process. She has written successful NSF grants and served as a PI on a number of them.  She has also served as an off- and on-site reviewer for several NSF programs. Since her retirement, Dr. Zdravkovich has assumed the position of the PI and Director of CyberWatch an NSF supported Advance Technological Education (ATE) Center, a consortium of 46 academic institutions (34 community colleges and 12 universities), businesses and professional organizations focused on strengthening information assurance education.  Main facets of CyberWatch are curriculum development, faculty development, student competitions and internships, and dissemination. Dr. Zdravkovich also serves as a Mentor to several NSF supported ATE centers and projects.  The new national Centers of Academic Excellence 2 Year (CAE2R) in Information Assurance Education program established in 2010 by the National Security Agency and the Department of Homeland Security has benefited significantly from her leadership. Her other senior and leadership positions include Dean of Science, Engineering, Mathematics, and Health at PGCC, Co-Chair of the state-wide fully articulated teacher education program, and Director of the state-wide program MarylandOnLine (MOL). She holds a Ph.D. in organic chemistry from George Washington University, and a baccalaureate in chemical engineering from the University of Belgrade.

J. Lynn Zimmerman
J. Lynn Zimmerman is Senior Vice Provost for External Academic Affairs & Deputy to the Provost and is also a Professor of Biology at Emory University. Her primary responsibilities as Senior Vice Provost are to oversee continuing education offered through the Emory Center for Lifelong Learning, to help build relationships with K-12 schools in the Atlanta metropolitan area and to work with other Atlanta higher education institutions to strengthen ties with Emory. As Deputy to the Provost she works closely with the Provost on a variety of special projects. Prior to joining Emory in Fall 2007, Dr. Zimmerman was Professor of Biology the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC). Her research focused on plant genetic engineering and she holds a patent for a technology to improve heat resistance in crop plants. At UMBC, she also served as Vice Provost for Academic Initiatives where she oversaw several initiatives focused on improving access and diversity in STEM. She also led the university's efforts in advancing the careers of women faculty in STEM supported by the NSF's ADVANCE program. In 2006, Dr. Zimmerman was an American Council on Education (ACE) Fellow and worked with President Shirley Tilghman at Princeton University. Dr. Zimmerman received her undergraduate education at Wayne State University, her doctoral training at the University of California, Irvine and performed postdoctoral research at Harvard University.

Village Elders

Jim Gentile
Jim Gentile, Ph.D. is President of Research Corporation. He comes to Research Corporation most recently from Hope College in Holland, MI where he held an endowed professorship in biology and served for twelve years as Dean for the Natural Sciences. Gentile received his B.S. degree from St. Mary’s University in Winona, MN, and his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from Illinois State University. He spent two years in postdoctoral studies in the Department of Human Genetics at Yale School of medicine before assuming his position at Hope. He is a former member of the Science Advisory Board for the U.S. EPA and of the State of Michigan Hazardous Waste Site Review Board. He is currently a National Associate of the National Research Council (NRC), where he is a current member of the NRC Life Science Board and a previous member of the NRC Committee on Undergraduate Science Education. He currently is the Co-Chairperson of the National Academies Summer Institutes for Education in Biology and a National Academies Education Mentor in the Life Sciences. Over the years he has been a program director for grants from many public (FIPSE, NIH, NSF, USEPA, WHO) and private (HHMI, Beckman Foundation, Kresge Foundation, Research Corporation, Sherman Fairchild Foundation, W.M. Keck Foundation) sectors to support education and research. During his career he has had the opportunity to work with over 120 undergraduate students in collaborative research in his laboratory and has authored more than 100 research articles, book chapters, book reviews and special reports in areas of scientific research and higher education.

Jeanne Narum
Jeanne L. Narum is the founding principal of PKAL Learning Spaces Collaboratory, the founding director of Project Kaleidoscope (PKAL) and director of the Independent Colleges Office (ICO), all located in Washington, D.C. A nationally recognized advocate for undergraduate education, her activities collectively reflect her commitment to ensure today’s undergraduates—no matter their background or career aspiration—have access to learning environments that equip them to be tomorrow’s leaders. During the past twenty years, PKAL has played a major role in catalyzing discussions about the why and how of transforming undergraduate programs in STEM fields. Narum has facilitated opportunities for informed conversations among early-career STEM faculty, within and between STEM disciplinary societies, engaging leaders and leadership teams from campuses and organizations across the country. A primary responsibility has been gathering, writing, and publishing print and web resources for the work of the communities of agents of change. Narum has been chief editor/author for PKAL reports since 1991. PKAL has had a role in forging national networks that are transforming undergraduate science and engineering education. Narum serves on the Research Corporation’s Presidential Advisory Board, as society liaison for the American Association of Physics Teachers, as liaison to the Mathematical Association of America’s Introductory Calculus project, as member of the Puerto Rico Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation (LSAMP) Program board, and as a member of the Oakton Community College STEP program. She was a consultant for the EU Internationalization in the Transatlantic Context initiative and has served on the Board of Advisors for Biological and Chemical Sciences at the University of Maryland College Park. She received the 2010 Founder’s Award from the Society of College and University Planners (SCUP), was made a 2010 Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), received the award for academic excellence from the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC), a lifetime achievement award from Faculty for Undergraduate Neuroscience, and a presidential citation from the American Psychological Association. She was named an AWIS fellow by the Association for Women in Science and is a St. Olaf College Distinguished Alumna. Narum served in administrative capacities at St. Olaf, Dickinson College, and Augsburg colleges. She holds honorary degrees from the George Washington University, St. Lawrence University, University of Redlands, Ripon College, and the University of Portland, and has a Bachelor of Music degree from St. Olaf College.

James H. Stith
James Stith was the Vice President, Physics Resources Center for the American Institute of Physics from 1998-2008. He directed a broad portfolio of programs and services that included AIP’s Magazine Division, the Media and Government Relations Division, the Education Division, the Center for the History of Physics, the Statistical Research Division and the Careers Division. His Doctorate in physics was earned from The Pennsylvania State University, and his Masters and Bachelors in physics were received from Virginia State University. A physics education researcher, his primary interests are in Program Evaluation, and Teacher Preparation and Enhancement. Throughout his career, he has been an advocate for programs that ensure ethnic and gender diversity in the sciences. Dr. Stith was formerly a Professor of Physics at The Ohio State University and also spent 21 years on the faculty of the United States Military Academy at West Point. He has also been a Visiting Associate Professor at the United Air Force Academy, a Visiting Scientist at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, a Visiting Scientist at the University of Washington, and an Associate Engineer at the Radio Cooperation of America. He is a past president of the American Association of Physics Teachers, past president of the National Society of Black Physicists, a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, a Fellow of the American Physical Society, a Chartered Fellow of the National Society of Black Physicists, and a member of the Ohio Academy of Science. In 2004 he was named one of “50 Most Important Blacks in Research Science" by the magazines Science Spectrum and US Black Engineer & Information Technology.

Daniel F. Sullivan
Daniel F. Sullivan served as the 17th president of St. Lawrence University from 1996 until his retirement on June 30, 2009. A 1965 mathematics graduate of St. Lawrence, Dr. Sullivan received the Ph.D. in sociology from Columbia University where he was an Edward John Noble Fellow and a National Science Foundation Graduate Fellow. His research and scholarship have been focused in science and mathematics education, the sociology of science and medicine, and the sociology of organizations. During his tenure, St. Lawrence University experienced a renaissance characterized by support for excellence across the curriculum, a commitment to the quality and increased size of the faculty, a focus on well-balanced, student-centered campus life and an historic investment in renovated and new facilities.