Dr. Mon-Lin Monica Ko is an Assistant Research Professor at the Institute of Cognitive Science at the University of Colorado Boulder. Dr. Ko’s work focuses on promoting and studying classroom interactions that support students' engagement in disciplinary practices. Informed by her experience as a high school biology teacher, Ko works on interdisciplinary projects that focus on secondary science teaching, learning, research-practice partnerships, and AI in education. On these projects, she works collaboratively with teachers and other stakeholders to design learning environments that invite students to take the lead in their own learning. She is also the host and co-producer of The Humans of Learning Sciences and loves the outdoors, baking, and hunting for the next best coffee shop.

Dr. Stina Krist is an associate professor in the Graduate School of Education at Stanford University. Her research pairs a philosophical question with a design-oriented one: what does humanistic science education (research) look like? And how can we design to move science education (research) towards those visions? Her pursuit of these broad questions involves curricular co-design projects in pre-service teacher education, undergraduate STEM courses, and teacher professional learning settings. Her research in these projects focuses on the relational work that students and teachers do to build trust and support intellectual risk-taking as they engage in science knowledge-building practices while also making science content relevant to students’ lived experiences and communities. In addition, grounded in an anti-capitalist vision, Dr. Krist has developed new research methods that leverage existing AI-based computational tools toward ethically-driven qualitative research.

Dr. Enrique (Henry) Suárez's research focuses on designing learning environments that create opportunities for elementary-aged emergent multilingual students to leverage their conceptual resources and translanguaging practices for learning science. He was a NAEd/Spencer postdoctoral fellow (2022-2024) and a member of the National Academies committee on enhancing science and engineering education PK-5. Suárez received his PhD on Science Education from the CU, Boulder in 2017 and was a postdoctoral fellow at the Institute for Science and Math Education at the University of Washington 2017-2019. He grew up in Venezuela, has lived in all continental time zones of the US, and enjoys cooking Arepas for friends and family.

Dr. Barbara Hug's work focuses on developing and using curriculum materials that support inquiry learning in science. There exists a need to develop curriculum materials that allow teachers and students to engage in the teaching and learning of science as described in the national reform documents. Hug is interested in understanding the inquiry practices of the students as they engage in extended investigations and what learning occurs. Her research examines the supports that are needed by both the teachers and students as they engage in inquiry practices. Hug's current work is done in a collaborative manner with teachers, scientists, and graduate students and includes examining both professional development and classroom environments.

Dr. Kerri Wingert is a learning scientist and former teacher in Boulder, CO. She leads equity and justice-focused research and evaluation studies on science education curriculum materials and teacher learning. Her work centers the question: "How can we design more caring, curious classrooms for all students?" She has led open-source curriculum and codesign projects with teachers and researchers in 30 states, including with OpenSciEd, inquiryHub, TenStrands, and many state and district agencies. Kerri enjoys crafting, DIY home repair, reading fiction and carting her two little kids around on her e-bike.

Melissa Campanella is a research associate at the University of Colorado Boulder in the Institute of Cognitive Science. She has many interests, including supporting adult sociopolitical development and action, and designing curriculum materials that engage social and political dimensions of science and technology. Melissa is also a skilled professional learning designer who values creating experiences that model effective pedagogy and foster reciprocal relationships to achieve shared goals.

Logan is a PhD student with an interest in science education, American Sign Language, embodied learning, cripistemology, and queer theory. They received their master's in biology at UIUC in 2013 and has since worked in science education curriculum and game development, exhibit content development at Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle, Washington, and graphic design and illustration for clients such as National Geographic Society.

Kevin is a Ph.D. student whose work focuses on designing inclusive STEM educational spaces that promote sense of belonging and identity development for Black and Brown students. Using innovative methodologies, such as Natural Language Processing (NLP) and computational grounded theory, his current research questions include: What do teachers conceptualize when they talk about designing curricula that aims to empower students? What are tensions faced by science teachers when thinking about the NGSS adaptation of traditional lessons? How do students and teachers co-construct agency in STEM classrooms?

Nicholas (Nick) Leonardi is a Ph.D. student at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Nick earned a BS degree in Science Education from the University of Iowa in 2014 and a MS degree in Education and Social Policy from Northwestern University in 2019. As a former middle school science teacher, Nick is interested in supporting teachers in creating and fostering equitable learning environments for students in K-12 classrooms. Nick’s research interests lie at the intersection of curriculum design, teacher learning, and equity. His research addresses the question: How do teachers learn to design, adapt, and enact reform-based curriculum materials that allow all learners (teachers and students) to thrive?

Nancy (Nga) Hoang is a Ph.D. student in Learning Science and Human Development at the University of Colorado Boulder. Her research focuses on student-centred education, equitable teaching practices, and using AI to support teaching and learning. With a decade of experience as a Computer Science teacher, Nancy previously served as the CEO and Co-Founder of Kiddicode, a technology academy for young learners in Vietnam. Nancy is also a co-author of Vietnam’s national Computer Science workbook, widely used among students.

Madison is the website and media designer for EMPOWER. She also served as the Production Manager for OpenSciEd's High School Science materials at the Institute of Cognitive Science with the University of Colorado Boulder. She has a passion for producing engaging and effective curriculum content for large-scale projects. With nearly a decade of graphic design and video editing experience, she brings a creative eye and attention to detail to enhance the digital accessibility and overall learning experience for students.