Research, Engaged Scholarship & Design

Office for Public and Community-Engaged Scholarship (formerly the Office for Outreach & Engagement),  University of Colorado, Boulder

Program Director for Design and Implementation August 2025 – present
Program Manager, January 2016 – July 2025

  • Consult on and support community engaged scholarship (teaching, research and creative work) and outreach for faculty, staff and students. Provide support for partnership and professional development.
  • Community Engaged Scholarship Learning Cohorts for campus and community members:
    • Engaged Arts and Humanities Graduate Student Scholars (EAH) 2018 – current
      Program lead: developed and launched EAH Scholars in 2018. The program has supported over 30 graduate students in the arts, humanities and interdisciplinary programs in developing mutually beneficial, community-engaged partner projects that leverage and extend their lived experience and academic expertise. In 2024 EAH moved to new administrative home with the CU Boulder Center for Humanities & the Arts (CHA). I continue to lead and facilitate in collaboration with PACES and CHA.
    • Colorado Art Science Environment (CASE) Fellows 2022 – current
      Program lead: Developed the CASE program, teams of artists from across Colorado and CU Boulder scientists. Artist-led teams produced artworks that formed the exhibition   Coloradans and Their Shared Environment in Times of Challenge and Change that were first exhibited at the Colorado State Capitol and then traveled across Colorado, from Breckenridge, to Grand Junction, Durango, Pueblo and more. The exhibition tells the story of how Coloradans are experiencing interrelated challenges of fire, drought, and water and air quality in their communities. The artwork reflects a dialogue between the perspectives of the artists, scientists and communities. The narrative moves beyond debates about climate change to make visible the connection all Coloradans have to the natural landscape and, through connection to place, to one another.
    • Data + Art + Science for Youth (DASY) Fellows 2024 current
      Program lead: Teachers participate in a community of learners where they will learn from each other, and university and museum or library partners. Fellows will be coached and guided by staff from CU Science Discovery and the Office for Public and Community-Engaged Scholarship. Together, with teachers taking the lead, fellows will develop data-driven art and science activities for use in their classrooms and by the public at a museum or library.
  • Partnerships with Arts Leaders on and off-campus

Former:

University of Colorado Boulder,  Postdoctoral Researcher 

High School STEM Opportunity Structures, School of Education, University of Colorado at Boulder, PI Dr. Dr. Margaret Eisenhart.  February 2015 – December 2015

  • Data analysis of 4 years of interview data with students, parents, teachers and school personnel.

Inventos Boulder Project, September 2014 – Sept 2015

  • Primary Investigator for grant funded Inventos Boulder project, a partnership with Boulder Housing Partners. Design based research with a video documentary club that supports children and families as researchers of their communities’ digital and health practices.

MacArthur Connected Learning Research Network, School of Education, University of Colorado at Boulder, Boulder, CO, PI Dr. Kris Gutierrez

Research Director and Postdoctoral Researcher August 2011 – September 2014     

  • Researched families’ “everyday” digital, health and energy practices. Conducted qualitative and quantitative research (interviews, video-recorded participant observation, surveys) in homes and after school settings with Latino elementary school-age youth
  • Led research teams in field research, data reduction and analysis, and outreach programming.
  • Managed and supervised student research teams: graduate students (2011-12: 3, 2013-14: 7, 2014: 5) and undergraduates (2012: 3, 2013: 9; 2014: 6); recruited and hired students.
  • Taught undergraduate courses in child and adolescent development; developed new curriculum
  • Analyzed data from three years of field research on CLRN project.
  • Wrote research reports, IRBs, presentations, posters, book chapters and journal articles.
  • Wrote or co-wrote grants (62k from CU entities: WISE, UROP, CU Outreach); assisted with NSF, Gates Foundation and additional grants, including partnerships with CU Computer Scientists.
  • Developed and implemented STEM programming, practicum sites and multiple grant projects.
  • Managed budgets; purchased equipment for audio/video data collection, storage, and analysis.

Wired Up Project, Utrecht University, The Netherlands,
PIs: Drs. Mariette de Haan, Kevin Leander, and Sandra Ponzanesi.
Research Associate and Arizona Project Coordinator 2010-2011   

  • Conducted survey research on youth digital practices in Arizona high schools (n=388). Wrote University of Arizona IRB for US research.

Dissertation: Forming a Collaborative Model for Appropriating Youth Practices and Digital Tools for New Literacies Development with Latino High School Students and Teachers. University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ
Primary Investigator 2009-2011

  • Participant observation and interviews (individual and small group) with teachers and predominately Latino students in four high school English classrooms and in digital contexts.
  • Administered surveys and questionnaires on youth practices and for feedback on research
  • Curriculum development based off of ethnographic work in classrooms and digital spaces.
  • Analyzed media taped data, interviews and multimodal artifacts; published and writing papers.
  • Co-taught high school writing course to implement new media technologies
  • Published and presented on results of the study.

UA for You Portal, Outreach & Extension, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ
PIs Dr. Barbara Hutchinson and Dr. Sara Chavarria,
Graduate Research Assistant, 2009-2010

  • Drupal Content Management system and interface development for collaborative UA outreach portal that aggregated outreach resources. Coordinator and teacher for faculty training sessions.

University of Arizona College of Science / Tucson GEAR UP Project, Tucson, AZ
PI Dr. Katrina Mangin, project liaison, Mary Bouley
Graduate Research Assistant, STEM Outreach Coordinator, 2007-2009

  • Designed and conducted research studies on youth technology practices:
    • Focus group interviews and questionnaires with 8th grade students at 5 middle schools.
    • Ethnographic study in an after school digital storytelling club.
  • Technology consulting; online site creation, video production and digital storytelling instruction; teacher and family professional development; online curriculum and outreach programming development.

Sonoran Desert Knowledge Exchange (SDKE) Digital Network Initiative, University of Arizona Libraries, Tucson, AZ Graduate Research Assistant, 2007-2008

  • Co-designed research study Exploring the Formation and Outreach Potential of the Sonoran Desert Knowledge Exchange Web Portal to provide formative information to guide the project. Co-conducted 25 interviews with scientists, conservation workers, decision makers.
  • Co-created biodiversity curriculum, presented at teacher workshops, and produced videos on biodiversity http://podcasts.tolweb.org | com/linquiry.

Tree of Life Web Project (ToL), Department of Entomology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ
PI Dr. David Maddison, http://tolweb.org a phylogenetic database of life on Earth,
Research Faculty / Associate, Web-based Learning Materials Editor / Coordinator (2004-2007)

Masters Thesis Research: The Green Scientists Project, (GSP): Inquiry into a School Garden and Habitat. Latin American Studies, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ
Primary Investigator, 2001-2002

  • Ethnographic research and curriculum design and implementation with a 3rd grade ESL classroom that leveraged Latino youths’ “funds of knowledge” related to their histories and the local environment for academic science learning.
  • Tinker Award Research in Cuba on school gardens; interviewed teachers and state officials.

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