Research TeamSEPAL Master's Degree Candidates |
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Rebecca Fuloprfulop@sfsu.edu About MeRebecca possesses a Bachelor of Science degree in Neuroscience & Behavior from Wesleyan University in Connecticut and a teaching credential from Mills College in California. She has four years of high school science teaching experience in the San Francisco Unified School District. She is currently a master's degree candidate in the SEPAL laboratory at SFSU conducting research on students' and teachers' perceptions around learning and the brain. Rebecca is interested in how high school students and their science teachers conceive of a topic that is on one hand as old as the human race and on the other a burgeoning field in its infancy—the human brain and neuroscience. Rather than getting at their superficial beliefs about this topic, their deeper conceptions will be probed about the brain, learning, memory, perception and personality. She will survey neuroscientists to develop a list of what they consider to be the most important concepts in neuroscience research today. She will develop a list of these emergent concepts from this process, and then she will probe high school biology teachers' conceptions about neuroscience. Finally, she will probe high school students' conceptions about the same topics. Rebecca's Links
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Briana McCarthybrianamc@sfsu.edu About MeBriana received her M.S. in Ecology and Systematic Biology from SFSU in 2008, and her B.S. in Ecology, Behavior, and Evolution from UCSD in 2004. She teaches biology at Laney College, Berkeley City College, and De Anza College and also teaches at the Marine Science Institute. She continues to collaborate with SEPAL in research efforts. Research ProjectBriana investigated the assumption in the research literature that biology majors and environmental studies (ES) majors graduate as experts in their fields. She collected written responses to statements, such as "The greenhouse effect can be made smaller by planting trees," from biology majors and ES majors. She found that ES majors provided more complete explanations of how photosynthesis and respiration impact the greenhouse effect. Upon interviewing a small subset of these students, she discovered that students generally struggled to piece together respiration, photosynthesis, and carbon cycling. Briana hopes her research will inform teaching at the college level and encourage teachers to help students' structure their fragmented knowledge. Briana's Links |
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Courtney Scottcourtneylscott@hotmail.com About MeCourtney received a double major in Art and Biology from Pitzer College. Following graduation, Courtney worked for World Wildlife Fund in Chile developing a hands-on environmental education program. Once returning to California, Courtney worked for Save The Bay and Marine Science Institute. Currently, Courtney is working toward her master's degree as a SEPAL graduate student and working in the exhibits department at the California Academy of Science (CAS). Research ProjectCourtney's research will investigate how experiencing the new CAS Philippine Coral Reef Exhibit influences Bay Area Filipinos' ideas toward environmental conservation. To conduct this research, Courtney will collect pre- and post-assessment responses from Bay Area Filipinos' before and immediately following their viewing of the exhibit. In addition, a subset of these subjects will be interviewed ~1-3 months following their viewing experience to gauge their enduring impressions. This research has the potential to provide insight into Bay Area Filipinos' understanding of environmental conservation and the impact of visiting the CAS Philippine Coral Reef Exhibit on these views. |
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Michelle Krokmkrok@sfsu.edu About MeMichelle is currently obtaining an M.S. in physics & astronomy at SFSU where she teaches undergraduate astronomy laboratories. Michelle has experience in planetarium presenting and has participated in astronomy education efforts at the Chabot Space & Science Center, the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum and NASA Headquarters in Washington D.C., and the Stardome Observatory in Auckland, New Zealand. She also completed a B.A. in math with a minor in astrophysics at UC Santa Cruz. Research ProjectCurrently Michelle is working on a thesis under the supervision of Dr. Adrienne Cool (SFSU astronomy), Dr. Kimberly Tanner (SFSU SEPAL Director) and Dr. Ed Prather (University of Arizona’s Center for Astronomy Education). Her thesis is the creation and evaluation of five introductory astronomy laboratories that utilize the research-based curricular design approach called the 5E Model and incorporate the use of a planetarium. The overarching learning objectives of the labs are that students will be able to 1) characterize the location and appearance of things in the night sky using compass direction, altitude, magnitude and angles between stars, and 2) predict the apparent motions of the Sun, Moon, and stars as seen from Earth. These abilities are valuable as they allow students to make sense of what they see in the sky on a daily basis. In addition to astronomy education research, Michelle is working with Dr. Andisheh Mahdavi (SFSU astronomy) on determining dark matter profiles of galaxy clusters. Michelle's Links |
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Elizabeth Politoefriebrg@sfsu.edu About MeElizabeth obtained an undergraduate degree in Liberal Studies with a concentration in math and science at San Francisco State University. It was her intention to become an elementary school teacher, and it was during this time that she took her first course in meteorology, which morphed her childhood fascination into a full-blown passion. After completing her undergraduate degree in 2003, she re-entered school as a masters' student in the Department of Geosciences. Since then, she has completed all the undergraduate coursework in Atmospheric Science, and is now working on her masters’ project. Research ProjectStudent conceptions of weather phenomena across multiple cognitive levels. Meteorological content is presented in K-12 educational standards and in university general education courses, yet little research has been done to explore how students conceptualize weather phenomena. My project aim is to use a two-phase approach to identify conceptions and alternative conceptions concerning wind, fog, and tornadoes among middle school students, university non-meteorology majors, and meteorology majors. Each phase of the project—written assessments and videotaped interviews—will drive the next phase with the goal of gaining a deeper understanding of student ideas. By identifying students’ alternative concepts about weather, scientists and educators can create experiences that will help students move their viewpoint to be more scientific. Elizabeth's Links |
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Carol Umanzorcumanzor@dons.usfca.edu About MeComing soon! Research ProjectComing soon! Carol's Links
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Julia Smithsmith@hnu.edu About MeJulia Smith is a tenured Professor of Biological Sciences at Holy Names University in Oakland. Julia completed a B.A. in Biology at Carleton College in 1983. Her Master’s thesis, at the University of Oklahoma, investigated a woodpecker hybrid zone. In 1993 Julia completed her Ph.D. studying phenotypic plasticity in Song Sparrows at the University of California at Berkeley in the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology. Research ProjectAs part of a sabbatical leave in 2009, Julia will be working at SFSU in collaboration with SEPAL researchers to: 1) develop a baseline estimate of student mastery of performance objectives in Holy Names University biology courses, 2) explore whether inquiry-based pedagogy results in greater mastery and retention of performance objectives in biology courses, and 3) examine whether inquiry-based methods may be an effective tool promoting the participation and achievement of under-represented minorities in biology. |
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Former SEPAL Researchers |
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Allison BuschAbout MeAllison began her dream job working with SEPAL in the summer in 2004. In 1999, after a challenging year teaching algebra and biology at Mission High School in the SFUSD, Allison decided that she "most definitely was not suited for teaching" and subsequently pursued graduate study in the SFSU Department of Biology, believing a career in hardcore field biology was her true calling. While a graduate student, Allison studied animal behavior under the supervision of Dr. Jan Randall, focusing on predator-prey communication systems. While in graduate school, to her surprise, after working as an NSF Graduate Teaching Fellow in SFUSD, Allison realized that she actually liked, maybe even loved, science teaching. Currently, as a lecturer in the SFSU College of Science and Engineering and the SEPAL Coordinator, Allison divides her energy between teaching science education coursework and professional development trainings, coordinating collaborative partnerships between SFSU scientific trainees and Bay Area K-12 teachers, and collecting and analyzing data on the impact these experiences have on scientific trainees. In her spare time, Allison spins a mean hula hoop and makes the best vegetarian enchiladas in the history of the world. Allison's Links
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Jonathan BoxermanAbout MeJonathan received his Master of Science in Geoscience from San Francisco State University in May 2006. He embarked on a mission to study a little known geologic phenomenon called tafoni, a fantastic rock weathering pattern. While pursuing his geology research project, he was also a scientist partner teacher in GK-12. As a current doctoral student at Northwestern University, he hopes to continue investigating how people think and reason about geosciences concepts and scientific models in the Learning Sciences department at the school of education and social policy. Jonathan's Links
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Jamie ChanAbout MeJamie started her career as a scientist studying marine biology at SFSU. She has over five years experience working in research environments ranging from clinical studies to molecular biology. She started her graduate degree studying the evolution of sea slugs (called nudibranchs) at the California Academy of Sciences. During her graduate career, she participated in SEPAL's Graduate K-12 Teaching Fellows Program (GK-12). As a scientist partner she worked together with life science teachers in the San Francisco Unified School District to design and deliver hands-on, inquiry based science lessons. She has taught over 200 students in 10th grade biology and 7th grade life sciences. Jamie was intrigued with how her students learned science content in the classroom. Jamie became a research associate at SEPAL and performed a study of the Science views of 97 seventh grade students at an urban public middle school. This study became a chapter in her master's thesis, which incorporated the use of written assessment data and individual video interviews. She was particularly interested in student's science views in the context of religious and cultural beliefs. She currently lectures at SFSU and continues to do research with SEPAL. Jamie is currently interested in how students learn science at the college level and how gender and culture affects a student's views of science. In her free time, Jamie is often found tide-pooling on the California coast and kissing large flaccid slugs who want nothing more than to be put back in the water. Jamie's Links |
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SEPAL is made possible through funds from the National Institutes of Health Science Education Partnership Award (NCRRSEPAR25RR024307-01), National Science Foundation GK-12 Grant (DGE0337949), PFSMETE Start-Up Grant (DGE-0136879) and through in-kind support from the SFSU Department of Biology and College of Science and Engineering.
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