Geoscience Education Research Division Officers

President - Chris Mead

Dr. Chris Mead is an Assistant Research Professor in the School of Earth and Space Exploration at Arizona State University. He holds a Ph.D. in Geological Sciences with a focus in Discipline Based Geoscience Education Research. In his current position, he conducts education research and performs evaluation for educational development projects. His areas of expertise include studying digital active learning techniques, such as virtual field trips and intelligent tutoring, and examining diversity, equity, and inclusion in higher education through institutional analysis.

Vice President - Caitlin Callahan

Treasurer - Samuel Cornelius Nyarko

Dr. Samuel Cornelius Nyarko is a Postdoctoral research fellow and leader of the GeoEd research lab in the STEM Education Innovation and Research Institute (SEIRI) at Indiana University Purdue University, Indianapolis. He carries out research in geoethics education, preservice teacher education, social and community learning practices (teamwork and team learning), and diversity, equity and inclusion. He is a social constructivist and share in the philosophy that diversity in knowledge creation is the closest to achieving accurate knowledge. He holds a BS. in Geological Engineering, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology; M.Phil. in Geology, University of Ghana; and Ph.D. in Science Education - Geosciences, Western Michigan University.

Secretary - Katie Boyd

Kathryn (Katie) Boyd is an Education and Outreach Associate at CIRES. She is the program manager for a climate change education project and an evaluator for multiple CIRES education projects. She conducts research in environmental education related to these roles. She holds two MS degrees in Atmospheric Science and in Education/Ecology. Her research interests include science education, outreach, and communication, specifically understanding how to build bridges between the scientific community and society through educational work.

Media Director - Vacant

Graduate Student Liaison - Kristen Foley

Kristen Foley currently works as a Graduate Student Instructor at the Mallinson Institute for Science Education, Western Michigan University. Kristen does research in Geology and Geoscience Education, working toward her MS (Geosciences) and PhD (Geoscience Education) at WMU. Kristen is a graduate of the School of Earth and Space Exploration at Arizona State University, where she spent time as both a Teaching Assistant and a Research Assistant. Her current research interests are in the digital aspects of geosciences, virtual field trips, and how they impact student learning.

Past President - Emily Scribner

Dr. Emily Scribner is a Lecturer in the Department of Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences at Clemson University. Her research interests are spread between two realms: geoscience education and mineralogy. Her current geoscience education research involves assessing the effectiveness of virtual field camp exercises as an alternative for students who are unable to participate in in-person field exercises. Other geoscience education research she has conducted involved the development of a concept inventory, a validated assessment, that can be used to measure conceptual understanding of introductory mineralogy concepts. Her mineralogy research focuses on the rare-element pegmatites, specifically those that are thought to have been contaminated by their host rocks, resulting in the modification of their chemical signature and mineralogy through the introduction of chemical elements from the host rock. She is currently the State Representative for South Carolina within the Southeastern Section of NAGT.

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