Social Sciences Division
Assistant Professor
Contractor
Environmental Studies Department
McHenry Library
Room 3146
By Appointment
Education Department
Ph.D. Learning Sciences & Human Development with Cognitive Science (Combined)
University of Colorado Boulder (2016)
M.A.+ Curriculum & Instruction + Secondary Science Licensure
University of Colorado Boulder (2007)
B.A. Neuroscience & Behavior
University of California, Santa Cruz (2002)
Science Education, Design-Based Research, Collaborative Design, Community-Engaged Research, Project-Based Learning, Sociocultural Theory, Cognitive Science
I develop science education materials and study how they can support learners in having more meaningful and empowering STEM learning experiences. My work includes a focus on the process of designing STEM materials. I explore how to productively leverage the expertise of groups often excluded in design work (e.g., students, teachers, and community members) in order to achieve more effective design spaces and more inclusive research-practice partnerships. I also examine how to support the implementation of STEM innovations, particularly how to sustain them over time and bring them to scale across education systems and spaces while showing integrity to their intended purpose.
Grants
"'Seed Spoon Science': Building Community and STEM Identity with Science in the Garden"
PI: Alexie Leauthaud; Co-PI: Samuel Severance
Funder: David & Lucile Packard Foundation
$40,000 (2021-2023)
"Community-Engaged Transformative Learning with Informal STEM in a School-Based Community Garden"
PI: Linnea Beckett; Co-PI: Samuel Severance
Funder: Spencer Foundation
$50,000 (2021-2023)
"SEMILLA Teach Project"
PI: Pablo Reguerín; Co-PI: Nandini Bhattacharya, Judit Moschkovich, Samuel Severance
Funder: US Dept of Ed Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSI) - STEM Articulation Programs
$149,798 (2019-2021)
"Equipping Middle School Teachers with Resources to Monitor the Progress of their Students’ Science Learning"
PI: James Pellegrino; Co-PIs: Joseph Krajcik, Christopher Harris, Daniel Damelin
PI: Samuel Severance (subaward)
Funder: Chan-Zuckerberg Initiative
$23,928 (2019-2021)
Awards
Hellman Fellowship (2021-2022)
Miramontes Scholar Fellowship (2012-2016)
Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in STEM Education (2013)
ETS Recognition of Excellence (PRAXIS General Science) (2007)
Hach Scientific Foundation Chemistry Teacher Scholarship (2007)
- Motivating teaching, sustaining change in practice: Design principles for teacher learning in project-based learning contexts
- Connecting computational thinking and science in a US elementary classroom
- Learning with purpose: Orienting student agency towards community solidarity in a secondary science curriculum
- Using design-based research to solve wicked problems
- Examining primary teacher expertise and agency in the collaborative design of project-based learning innovations
- Examining the potential of computer science and making for supporting project-based learning
- Organizing for teacher agency in curricular co-design
- Tensions in a multi-tiered research-practice partnership