When: September 22, 2014 (9:00am - 4:30pm; 8:00am breakfast)
Where: CU Boulder Folsom Stadium (Club Level), 2400 Colorado Ave Boulder, CO 80302
Who: Approximately 100 thought leaders
Confirmed keynote speakers, panelists, and session leads: Jo Handelsman, Howard Gobstein, Susan Singer, Shirley Malcolm, Vincent Tinto, Michael Marder, Charles Henderson, Dan Porterfield, Rebecca Blank.

 

Keynote Speaker:
 

Jo Handelsman, Associate Director for Science, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy

Jo Handelsman

Dr. Jo Handelsman is a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Professor. In addition to her pioneering research on functional metagenomics, Dr. Handelsman is known internationally for her efforts to improve science education and increase the participation of women and minorities in science at the university level. Dr. Handelsman co-founded the Women in Science and Engineering Leadership Institute at UW-Madison, which designed and evaluated interventions intended to enhance the participation of women in science, and founded The Center for Scientific Teaching at Yale, which provides local and national leadership in transforming classroom teaching in science and engineering. On July 2, 2014, President Obama appointed Dr. Handelsman to the position of Associate Director for Science in The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP).

 

Plenary 1 Panelists and Session Leaders:
 

Howard Gobstein, Executive Vice President for Research, Innovation, and STEM Education at the APLU.

Howard Gobstein is the Executive Vice President for Research, Innovation, and STEM Education at the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU). He initiated and is co-Director of the Science Mathematics Teacher Imperative. He is also Co-Director of the affiliated Mathematics Teacher Education Partnership. He is also responsible for university policy efforts pertaining to research, education, and economic development. He is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), and was named the distinguished alumni of 2010 by the Purdue School of Engineering Education.

Susan Singer, Director, Division of Undergraduate Education, NSF

Susan Singer, the Laurence McKinley Gould Professor of the Natural Sciences at Carleton College, is currently serving as the director of the National Science Foundation’s Division of Undergraduate Education (DUE). The NSF’s DUE, housed within the Directorate for Education and Human Resources, sets undergraduate science education goals to provide leadership, support curriculum development, prepare the workforce and to foster connections. Dr. Singer serves on the board of directors for Project Kaleidoscope, for the NSF-funded iPlant cyberinfrastructure collaborative, and for the National Academies’ Board on Science Education.

Shirley Malcolm, Head of Education and Human Resources Programs, AAAS

Dr. Shirley Malcom is head of Education and Human Resources Programs at AAAS. She works to improve the quality and increase access to education and careers in STEM fields as well as to enhance public science literacy. Dr. Malcom is a trustee of Caltech and a regent of Morgan State University, and a member of the SUNY Research Council. She is a former member of the National Science Board, the policymaking body of the National Science Foundation, and served on President Clinton’s Committee of Advisors on Science and Technology. Malcom , a native of Birmingham, Alabama, received her PhD in ecology from The Pennsylvania State University, masters in zoology from UCLA and bachelor’s with distinction in zoology from the University of Washington. She holds 16 honorary degrees.

Vincent Tinto, Distinguished University Professor, Syracuse University

Dr. Vince Tinto is a Distinguished University Professor at Syracuse University and the former Chair of the Higher Education Program. He teaches courses on Understanding Educational Research and Research on the College Student. He has carried out renowned research and has written extensively on higher education, particularly on student success and the impact of learning communities on student growth and attainment. His book, Leaving College, published by the University of Chicago Press, lays out a theory and policy perspective on student success that is considered the benchmark by which work on these issues are judged. His most recent book, Completing College, also published by The University of Chicago Press, lays out a framework for institutional action for student success, describes the range of programs that have been effective in enhancing student success, and the types of policies institutions should follow to successfully implement programs in ways that endure and scale-up over time.

Michael Marder, Professor and Executive Director UTeach Science Program, University of Texas at Austin

Michael Marder is the Executive Director of the UTeach Science Program, Professor of Physics, and former Associate Dean for Science and Mathematics Education at University of Texas at Austin. As Executive Director of UTeach, the university program for preparation of secondary math and science teachers, Dr. Marder oversees the national expansion of UTeach to 40 universities, is helping to introduce inquiry techniques into undergraduate teaching, and oversees several other programs aimed at improving science and mathematics education in K-12 schools. Marder is also member of the Center for Nonlinear Dynamics, internationally known for its experiments on chaos and pattern formation, and for many years ranked #1 in the nation by US News and World Report. He is involved in a wide variety of theoretical, numerical, and experimental investigations, ranging from studies of plasticity and phase transformations to experiments on sand ripples at the sea bottom. He specializes in the mechanics of solids, particularly the fracture of brittle materials. He has developed numerical methods allowing fracture computations on the atomic scale to be compared directly with laboratory experiments on a macroscopic scale. He is employing these methods to study the production of natural gas from hydrofractured shale. He has also published two textbooks, one a graduate text on Condensed Matter Physics, and the other an undergraduate text on Research Methods for Science. UT Austin is home to the Freshman Research Initiative (FRI), a program which offers first-year students the opportunity to advance academically while doing cutting-edge, original, publishable research in chemistry, biochemistry, nanotechnology, molecular biology, physics, astronomy and computer sciences.

Charles Henderson, Professor, Western Michigan University

Dr. Charles Henderson received his PhD in Physics Education Research from the University of Minnesota in 2002. He has a joint appointment between the Physics Department and the Mallinson Institute for Science Education at Western Michigan University. Before receiving his PhD he taught physics at a variety of levels. Dr. Henderson's experience with the teaching and learning of physics has led him to focus his research on issues related to the diffusion and adoption of research-based instructional strategies. Dr. Henderson is a leader in the development of theories and strategies for promoting change in the teaching of STEM subjects.

 

Plenary 2 Panelists:
 

Dan Porterfield, President, Franklin & Marshall College

Dr. Daniel R. Porterfield, Franklin & Marshall College President, prioritizes enhancing academic excellence, promoting student success, increasing civic outreach, and helping young graduates thrive in life after college. A scholar of English, he teaches literature courses dealing with human rights, education, and social justice. Since becoming president on March 1, 2011, Porterfield has strengthened support for faculty and student research, launched new initiatives to enhance students’ personal and professional development, and overseen a strategic planning process designed to solidify F&M’s position as a leading national liberal arts college during a time of rapid change in American higher education.

Rebecca Blank, Chancellor, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Dr. Rebecca M. Blank became chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Madison in July 2013. Blank’s experience blends a knowledge of economics with a history of leading through innovation, and a background as an educator and researcher. In taking the position, Blank spoke of two distinct agendas for UW-Madison: providing the next generation with the skills necessary to succeed in the world’s changing economy, and maintaining this university’s position as a leader in innovation and research.

 

Conference Outcomes:

Participants with existing commitments to institutional transformation will be given the opportunity to provide updates on the progress their organization has made in fulfilling their commitments in breakout sessions, discussing challenges and highlighting best practices. Those new to the community will be provided opportunities to establish their commitments to the national movement. In situ capturing of the working sessions will allow for the capture of discussions along all core areas of focus.This will support the dissemination of conference outcomes, through the following means:

  • A public report of the event and summary of talks, and outcomes
  • Internally shared documents to participants
  • Emergent tools and outcomes.