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Faculty and Staff

Faculty

	Leslie Atkins Joint Appt: Physics	Leslie J. Atkins, PhD (University of Maryland, 2004) is an assistant professor in the departments of physics and science education. Her professional interests lie in the design of learning environments that better reflect the creative, knowledge-building communities that characterize scientific research. In practice, this requires a better understanding of the cognitive mechanisms of understanding and the social practices of the scientific community (particularly scientific discourse and argumentation) and her research lies in these areas. Dr. Atkins has a background in experimental physics research, having published work in soft condensed matter, and has worked in informal education, cognitive psychology, and teacher professional development at Dartmouth College and LessonLab Research Institute. She has taught high school physics and chemistry, and her current teaching focuses on teacher preparation and teacher professional development at Chico State.
	Tanya Heaston	Tanya Heaston, MA (CSU, Chico) is lecturer in science education and coordinator of the Hands-On Lab at Chico State University. A graduate of the MiST Program, Heaston teaches and directs all activities associated with the Hands-On Lab which is the capstone experience in science for all liberal studies majors and introduces other students to the science teaching profession.
	Joel Mintzes Joint Appt: Biology	Joel J. Mintzes earned his PhD at Northwestern University in 1974. His research focuses on conceptual development and cognitive processes in biology, and environmental education. He has served on editorial boards of the Journal of Research in Science Teaching and Science Education, as guest editor of the International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education, as author or co-author of some 100 publications and as co-editor of three books, Teaching Science for Understanding, Assessing Science Understanding (Elsevier Academic Press, 2005) and Handbook of College Science Teaching (NSTA Press, 2007). In addition he served as director of Research of the Private Universe Project at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics; lead fellow of the College Level One Team at the National Institute for Science Education, University of Wisconsin—Madison; visiting professor at the Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education of the National Institute for Fundamental Research (Bombay, India); visiting scholar in the Ecology Department at Providence University in Taiwan; and Fulbright-Technion Fellow at the Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa. He has taught courses in general and cell biology, zoology, neurobiology, and environmental science.
	Julie Monet Joint Appt: GEOS	Julie Monet, EdD (Rutgers University, 2006) received her EdD in science education from Rutgers University, MS in geosciences from San Francisco State University, and her BS in geology from Sonoma State University. Her main research interests are in the development of teachers' topic-specific pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) for teaching earth science, and the role of epistemic understanding and scientific reasoning in understanding science. Since her appointment at CSU, Chico she has served as the director for the Master’s in Science Teaching Program. She teaches graduate courses for science teachers in earth science, research methods in science education, and science teaching methods for graduate TAs. She also teaches undergraduate courses that include early science teaching experience (Hands-On Lab), and physical geology.
	Irene Salter	Irene Y. Salter, PhD (University of California, San Francisco, 2002) is committed to hands-on, inquiry-based science teaching. Her fascination with "learning by doing" began with her PhD research at the University of California, San Francisco where she studied the neural circuits that drive motivated behavior and learning. In graduate school she discovered her love of teaching and hasn't turned back since. She spent the next four years teaching middle school science in Berkeley and creating a classroom where students work together like real scientists. She also spent some time at the Lawrence Hall of Science, developing curriculum for the GEMS Program. Her current passions lie in creating new hands-on science lessons, teaching teachers, and fostering the growth of an on-line community of educators and scientists. For example, she mentors elementary teachers in the Chico Unified School District, helping them to shape their science curriculum, modeling science teaching practices in their classrooms, and providing an online space to share resources and teaching ideas. Check out examples of her curriculum, as well as those of her partner teachers, at My Science Box.

Associate Faculty

	Ann Bykerk-Kauffman Joint Appt: GEOS	Ann Bykerk-Kauffman is a professor of geological and environmental sciences. She earned her PhD at the University of Arizona (1990) and has been a faculty member since 1990.
	David Kagan Chair Joint Appt: Physics	David Kagan is a professor of physics. He earned his PhD in Atomic Physics at University of California, Berkeley in 1981 and has been a faculty member since then. His interest in Science Education developed as a result of his frequent participation in meetings of the American Association of Physics Teachers where he has served as our regional chapter's President. As the field of Physics Education Research began to mature, he saw the potential for deeper understanding of science for all learners. He is a frequent contributor to the journal, The Physics Teacher.
	Bev Marcum Joint Appt: Biology	Bev Marcum is a professor of biology. She earned her PhD at the University of Virginia (1974) and has been a faculty member since 1982.
	Jim Pushnik Joint Appt: Biology	Jim Pushnik teaches plant physiology (BIOL 414), and researches physiological response mechanisms of plants to environmental stresses and their impact on growth and development. He advises students studying plant biology, ecology, cell/molecular biology. Pushnik is currently the Director of the Institute for Sustainable Development.

Staff

Sue Barnett
Administrative Support Coordinator
Holt 377
(530) 898-4599
slbarnett@csuchico.edu