Across our three collaborating organizations, we are proud to bring together an array of expertise in practice, research, and evaluation. Aligned with our project’s aim of building the future of the field’s workforce, each project leader is paired with a mentor who served on the original project’s leadership team. To connect with us, please reach out to islframework@astc.org.
Association of Science and Technology Centers
- Melissa Ballard (Principal Investigator), Director of Programs
- Amanda Fisher (Co-Principal Investigator), Associate Director of Programs
- Shannon Sullivan, Senior Manager of Programs
- Kelly Tang, Manager of Communications
- Eve Klein, Senior Advisor for Public Engagement with Science
- Kris Morrissey, Consultant (mentor to Ballard and Fisher)
- Dennis Schatz, Consultant
COSI Center for Research and Evaluation
- Dolly Hayde (Co-Principal Investigator), Researcher
- Joe Heimlich, Senior Director of Research (mentor to Hayde)
- Laura Weiss, Researcher
STEM Research Center at Oregon State University
- Kelly Riedinger (Co-Principal Investigator), Senior Researcher and Program Lead in Informal, K-12 and Connected Learning
- Martin Storksdieck, Director (mentor to Riedinger)
- Victoria Sellers, Research Team
Project Advisors
We are proud to have enlisted several museum networks as Participant Advisors for this new phase of research to provide strategic direction and act as active participants in project activities. They bring deep connections to diverse museum and informal STEM learning professionals, such as emerging professionals, museum studies students and graduates, and non-dominant populations.
- Kelsey Brow, National Emerging Museum Professionals Network
- Mike Lesperance, The Design Minds, Inc.
- Rose Paquet, Incluseum
- Therese Quinn, University of Illinois at Chicago
- Jessie Ryker-Crawford, Institute of American Indian Arts
- Sierra Van Ryck deGroot, Museum Hue
The Research and Evaluation Advisory Committee adds depth and perspective to the project’s data collection and analysis. These four experts meet routinely with the research and evaluation teams to critically review plans, discuss findings, and respond to reports and publications.
- Marjorie Bequette, Director of Evaluation and Research in Learning, Science Museum of Minnesota
- David Delaine, Assistant Professor of Engineering Education and Principal Investigator of the Inclusive Community-based Learning Lab, Ohio State University
- Kathayoon Khalil, Associate Vice President of Conservation Learning, New England Aquarium
- Mark Miller, Director of Education, Pittsburgh Botanic Garden and Study Leader, Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, Carnegie Mellon University
Past Project Contributors
We are indebted to the original project team for laying the foundation for this important work! You can find publications produced in this phase on our Publications page.
The research team included Margaret Glass, Lesley Markham and Michelle Kenner, formerly of ASTC; Martin Storksdieck, Nancy Staus, and Nancee Hunter of Oregon State University’s STEM Research Center; Dennis Schatz, Institute of Learning Innovation (formerly the Pacific Science Center); Kris Morrissey, consultant (formerly the University of Washington’s Museology Graduate Program); Joe Heimlich of COSI’s Center for Research and Evaluation; Andy Aichele of COSI; and Cathlyn Stylinski of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science.
This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grants 2215274 (active), 1514815, 1514884, 1514890, and 1515315. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.