About Me

Hello!

I study the teaching and learning of scientific computing tools — things like computer simulations or data analysis and visualization platforms — particularly in middle and high school STEM contexts. To do so, I engage in (1) design-based research that engages students with these new computational skills and content; and (2) basic research to document novel learning processes and associated pedagogies as they unfold in complex settings such as classrooms.

As part of this work, I direct the Computing, Reasoning, and Expression (CoRE) Lab at UC Berkeley. Our current projects include Writing Data Stories (WDS), a collaboration with North Carolina State University and Concord Consortium to integrate data storytelling (including journalistic and narrative sources) into science investigations; and, From Access to Sustainability (A2S), with MIT and Teachers College Columbia, which explores the potential for repeated computational modeling experiences over the course of the school year to support science learning.

I joined the faculty of the University of California, Berkeley Graduate School of Education in January 2016, and teach classes in learning theory, educational technology, STEM education, and educational research methods. Before moving to Berkeley I was an Assistant Professor in the Department of Education at Tufts University from 2011-2015.

My work has been featured in journals including Educational Researcher, Journal of the Learning Sciences, Educational Technology Research and Development, and the Journal of Science Teacher Education. My research has been supported by an NSF CAREER Award, in 2020 I was awarded the AERA Division C Jan Hawkins Award, and in 2022 I served as a co-chair (with Nick Horton) of the organizing committee for the National Academies Workshop on Foundations of Data Science for Students in K-12.