Project Team
Principal Investigator
Tirupalavanam Ganesh, Ph.D., has degrees and experience in engineering, computer science, and education. He has brought this experience to bear in previous research that examined the use of technologies in K-12 settings with diverse students. In his prior position as faculty at the University of Houston he has worked with the Childrens Museum of Houston on the development and implementation of Roboticsbased STEM programming for urban youth. He will coordinate the activities of the project and work with various constituents to ensure that the project goals are met.Co-Principal Investigators
Dale Baker, Ed.D., is an international expert in equity issues in science education. She was honored in 2006-07 as a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science for this body of work. Her role for this project is in curriculum design: with a focus on science content, alignment of activities with State and National Standards, creation of formative and summative assessment, and observation and interview of project participants. She will oversee data analysis and preparation of findings for project publications.Monica Elser, M.S., M.Ed., is the education manager for ASUs Global Institute of Sustainability (GIOS). She has expertise in ecology and sustainability education, and administering after-school science clubs. She developed and administers the award-winning Ecology Explorers program and Service at Salado project. At GIOS, she directs the sustainability education programs for the NSF-funded Decision Center for a Desert City. For this effort, she will oversee the implementation of the urban and desert sustainability-related projects.
Jay Golden, Ph.D., is a faculty member in ASUs School of Sustainability and codirector of the National Center of Excellence on SMART Innovations for Urban Climate and Energy. He will work with the GIOS education team to bring current engineering research on sustainability in the urban environment to this effort.
Steve Krause, Ph.D., is professor of Materials Science and Engineering. His research in engineering education has focused on misconceptions and he has expertise in the development of concept inventories that we will use to assess student learning. He will ensure the coherence of engineering content as it relates to emerging K-12 Engineering standards and articulation with related science, mathematics, and workforce standards.
James Middleton, Ph.D., is an expert in middle school mathematics curriculum development and research in student cognition. For this project his role will be in curriculum design with a focus on mathematics content and assessment of students cognitive models on IT/STEM concepts. He will coordinate a team of graduate students from his department to assess cognitive models students create around fundamental IT/STEM concepts.
Chell Roberts, Ph.D., is an expert Engineering educator and Department Chair of Engineering at the ASU Polytechnic Campus. He is the founder and developer of the Engineering Studio at ASU that is a model for hands-on engineering education at the high school and college levels. He will work on the development of engineering activities and ensure the activities align with engineering standards and best practices in engineering education.
Sharon Robinson Kurpius, Ph.D., is an expert in counseling youth and adults in educational and career pathways. Her role will be in ensuring female and minority participants and their families are engaged in meaningful learning and extension of project activities into future life goals. She will play a significant role in preparing STEM mentors, and the ASU team to work with the middle school participants.
Wendy L. Taylor, Ph.D., serves in several capacities for the School of Earth and Space Exploration (SESE) at Arizona State University. She is the Instructional Specialist Coordinator for the Mars Student Imaging Project (MSIP) where she works with students from around the country using the THEMIS camera to image and explore Mars. Wendy has a Bachelors, Masters and Doctoral Degree in Geology and is a specialist in the areas of invertebrate paleontology and taphonomy (fossil preservation). She has served as a collections manager, informal educator, and exhibit developer at the Museum of the Earth in Ithaca, New York and The Field Museum in Chicago, Illinois. Her team will deliver the Explore and Imagine Mars portion of this project.