Dr. Susan Agre-Kippenhan is Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs and Professor at Linfield College in McMinnville Oregon. In addition to oversight of all academic aspects of the institution, Susan has increased funding for student-faculty collaborative research and opportunities for students to present their work at disciplinary conferences. Under her leadership, Linfield received a $600K NST S-STEM grant focused on increasing the underrepresented science students. In her role at Linfield, she is a member of the senior leadership team and led the strategic planning initiative for 2012-18. She co-chairs the College planning and budgeting committee and is the accreditation liaison to the North West Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU). Her research focuses on engaged scholarship and service-learning.Presentations at national conferences have focused on rethinking education for the 21st century, digital classrooms, and community-engaged scholarship.
Dr. Laura L. Behling is Provost and Dean of the University at the University of Puget Sound. She earned her Ph.D. in American Literature at the Claremont Graduate University, an M.S. in Journalism: Science and Medical Reporting at Boston University, and her B.A. at Kalamazoo College. Publications focus on higher education leadership and literary criticism: including serving as editor of both the Resource Handbook for Academic Deans (Jossey-Bass Publishing, 2014) and Reading, Writing, and Research: Undergraduate Students as Scholars in Literary Studies (Council on Undergraduate Research, 2010); Gross Anatomies: Fictions of the Physical in American Literature (Susquehanna University Press/Associated University Presses, 2008); editor of Hospital Transports: A Memoir of the Embarkation of the Sick and Wounded from the Peninsula of Virginia in the Summer of 1862 (The State University of New York Press, 2005; Paperback, 2006); and The Masculine Woman in America, 1890-1935 (The University of Illinois Press, 2001). She also has taught at Palacky University in the Czech Republic as a Fulbright Scholar, and served as a Fulbright Specialist at the American University of Bulgaria. During her teaching career, Behling taught courses in U.S. literature, global women’s literature, and the medical humanities.
Dr. Sharon Jones is the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at the Bothell campus of the University of Washington. Dr. Jones’ research portfolio includes applying decision-making methods to evaluate sustainability policies, improving engineering ethics education, broadening participation in STEM, and bridging engineering and the liberal arts. Most recently, she was the Principle Investigator for a successful five-year NSF project focused on retention for at-risk students in computer science and engineering. Dr. Jones received her bachelor’s degree from Columbia University and her Ph.D. from Carnegie Mellon University. She is also a licensed Professional Engineer in California and a Board Certified Environmental Engineer.
Dr. Jacqueline Van Hoomissen, Ph.D. is a Professor of Biology, and Associate Dean for Natural Sciences and Mathematics at the University of Portland. She earned her Ph.D. from the University of Georgia in the areas of kinesiology and neuroscience. Her research and grant portfolios include work in behavior neuroscience, physical activity and public health, school-university partnerships for STEM education and outreach, inclusion in higher education, and creative writing focused on higher education teaching. In her role as Associate Dean she is also the Director of the University’s Summer Undergraduate Research Experience program. Jacqueline serves as secretary of the Board of Directors for the international education society, Human Anatomy and Physiology Society. In 2018, she was awarded the Oregon Academy of Sciences Outstanding Educator Higher Education award for her dedication to excellence in STEM education and in 2014 was selected for AAC&U/Project Kaleidoscope’s STEM Summer Leadership Institute.
Dr. Rob Winningham is the Provost at Western Oregon University. He received his Ph.D. in neuroscience from Baylor University. Immediately after that he joined the faculty at Western Oregon University where he served as a Professor of Psychology and Gerontology. He created the Gerontology Department, when he was Division Chair of the Behavioral Sciences Division and helped create WOU’s Program for Undergraduate Research Experiences. His scholarship has focused on memory and aging, and, in the past 25 years he has published numerous scientific articles and books in that area and given over 1000 invited presentations. He has served as Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and is now serving as Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs.
Dr. Rebecca Jabbour is a Professor of Biology and Chair of the Biology Department at Saint Mary’s College of California. She has a PhD in Biological Anthropology from City University of New York, and her current research areas are Neanderthal fossils and African ape skeletal variation. Her professional development in recent years has focused on inclusive pedagogies in STEM disciplines and on faculty mentoring, including a day-long workshop on mentoring for women in biological anthropology. Her service as a member of the Rank & Tenure Committee and as Department Chair has deepened her interest in effective approaches to mentoring. She looks forward to learning from and supporting her peers as a participant in the ASCEND program, and she hopes to apply what she learns to creating future mentoring programs that will help reduce barriers encountered by women faculty in STEM.
Dr. Jung Kim is an Associate Professor of Exercise Science and Neuroscience at the University of Puget Sound. She earned her BS in Physiological Science from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1995, her MA in Education from Pepperdine in 2000, and her PhD in Biology from New Mexico State University in 2006. Dr. Kim’s research interests are focused on elucidating the cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in regulating skeletal muscle phenotype in response to changes in activity and injury. She has mentored over 40 undergraduate student researchers and is committed to making research opportunities accessible to all interested students.
Dr. Brie Paddock is an Assistant Professor of Biology at Southern Oregon University. She has focused on improving accessibility of biology to underrepresented groups. She started a student club for Society for the Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in STEM. She has participated in assessment and curriculum redevelopment in various roles at several institutions to create transparent practices. She earned a PhD in Biomedical Sciences from Colorado State University, with a focus in Molecular, Cellular, and Integrative Neuroscience.
Dr. Norma Velazquez Ulloa is an Associate Professor of Biology at Lewis & Clark College, which she joined in 2013. She earned a BS degree in Biology from the National Autonomous University of Mexico and a PhD in Neuroscience from the University of California, San Diego. She was a postdoctoral fellow at the University of California, San Francisco where she trained in behavioral genetics. At Lewis & Clark College, she teaches courses for biology major and non-major undergraduate students. In addition to teaching, she maintains an active research lab where she has mentored many women and first generation undergraduate students. She has developed and adapted curriculum to provide classroom-based research experiences for students in her courses. As a foreign-born professor, a woman in science, and a person of color, Dr. Velazquez Ulloa has aimed to be an advisor and mentor that supports diversity and equity. She values collaborations and belonging to interdisciplinary groups.
Dr. Megan Bestwick is currently an Associate Professor of Chemistry at Linfield College. She earned her BS chemistry degree from Southern Oregon University (2001), her MS in chemistry from the University of Washington (2002), and her PhD in Biochemistry from the University of Utah (2009). After completing her PhD, Dr. Bestwick was a postdoctoral fellow in the pathology department at the Yale School of Medicine and funded through an NIH Ruth Kirschstein NRSA Fellowship. In 2013 Dr. Bestwick joined the faculty of Linfield College in the Chemistry Department and later also became the program coordinator for the interdisciplinary Biochemistry and Molecular Biology degree. She actively teaches courses at both the introductory and advance level including Biochemistry and Instrumental Methods of Analysis. Dr. Bestwick has an active research program, and has held several NSF and private foundation grants to support her work in the field of mitochondrial biology focusing on various biochemical processes that take place within the organelle. Dr. Bestwick’s research program is centered on undergraduate student participation and learning.
Dr. Jenny Cappuccio is an Associate Professor of Biochemistry in the Department of Chemistry at Humboldt State University in Northern California. She received her PhD from UC Santa Cruz, followed by postdoctoral work at both Lawrence Livermore and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratories. Dr. Cappuccio has a passion for research in the areas of membrane protein nanobiotechnology and surface display of enzymes. She serves as a member of the Faculty Consensus Group for the California State University Program for Education and Research in Biotechnology (CSUPERB). She is implementing course based undergraduate research experiences (CURES) in her courses at HSU. Dr. Cappuccio is proud to have served as the CSU LSAMP campus coordinator promoting diversity in STEM disciplines. Dr. Cappuccio also serves a the faculty advisor for the HSU Chemistry Club.
Dr. Amanda Mifflin earned her chemistry degree from Wellesley College in 2001 and her PhD in Physical Chemistry from Northwestern University in 2006. She completed a Camille and Henry Dreyfus Environmental Chemistry Postdoctoral Fellowship at Harvard University before joining the faculty at the University of Puget Sound in 2009, where she teaches courses in general, physical, and food chemistry. Dr. Mifflin’s research program focuses on the nonlinear spectroscopy of environmental interfaces, and her work has been funded by the DOE Visiting Faculty Program, a Murdock College Research Program for Natural Sciences grant, and an NSF Environmental Chemical Sciences Award, among others. She recently established an on-campus luncheon series for women faculty in STEM+ to facilitate peer-to-peer mentoring and support. She enjoys trail and beach walks with her dogs and experimenting in the kitchen.
Dr. Trisha Russell is an Associate Professor of Chemistry at Whitworth University. She earned a PhD in Organic Chemistry from the University of Michigan. She is currently the co-Chair of the Department of Chemistry and the Chair-elect for the American Chemical Society, Inland Northwest Local Chapter. Dr. Russell’s research interests include applications of organic chemistry to medicinal chemistry, azo dye structural studies and chemical education. She was awarded the 2019 Whitworth University Faculty Academic Challenge Award and regularly teaches a course in the general education curriculum on Pharmaceutical Drug Public Policy. Dr. Russell enjoys spending time with her family and getting out into nature.
Dr. Haiyan Cheng is a Computer Science professor at Willamette University. She received a Ph.D. in Computer Science and Applications from Virginia Tech. Her research interests are in uncertainty quantification and reduction techniques for large scale simulations. She has applied the Polynomial Chaos method to the Sulfur Transport Eulerian Model (STEM) and proposed a hybrid 4D-Variational and Ensemble Kalman Filter (EnKF) model for data assimilations. Her research on nonlinear particle filters was supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation. In recent years, she has worked on various research projects in applied data science. In addition to mentoring many Computer Science research projects, she is the chair of the Computer Science department and advisor of the Women in CS student club.
Dr. Becka Morgan is an Associate Professor of Computer Science at Western Oregon University. She earned her PhD from Oregon State University, focusing on computer science education. Dr. Morgan has spent her career working to support underrepresented minority students in their pursuit of degrees in computer science. She took the lead in forming a committee in the CS Division to participate in a Learning Circle with the National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT) to further this goal. The work with NCWIT led to the formation of a dedicated diversity and inclusion committee, as well as curricular changes focused on scaffolding knowledge to help our students succeed in senior capstone.
Dr. Anna Ritz is an Assistant Professor of Biology at Reed College in Portland, Oregon. A computer scientist by training, she earned her master’s and Ph.D. in computer science from Brown University and was a postdoctoral researcher at Virginia Tech. Dr. Ritz works at the intersection of computer science and biology, where she develops algorithms to analyze and interpret large biological datasets. Her recent work focuses on molecular interaction networks and their use in understanding how molecules work on a systems level to respond to cellular signals and regulate cellular responses. Dr. Ritz’s interdisciplinary research has been funded by multiple NSF grants, including an NSF CAREER award in 2018. Dr. Ritz has mentored over 30 undergraduates in research and has provided opportunities for 50 students to attend computational conferences, earning her a National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT) Undergraduate Mentor Award in 2019.
Dr. Maggie Vanderberg is an Associate Professor of Computer Science (CS) at Southern Oregon University. She is passionate about increasing diversity in all STEM fields, especially CS, and believes the best way to do so is through education. She earned a Ph.D in CS from West Virginia University in 2010. Dr. Vanderberg has experience working with Rosetta Stone, NASA, and the DOE’s National Energy and Technology Laboratory as a software engineer, researcher, and project manager, and has taught university computer science full-time for almost 8 years. Currently, she is working with local school districts to integrate computational thinking into K-5 education as part of a National Science Foundation CSforAll grant. The goal is to introduce students to computational thinking so they are prepared to study computer science while progressing through K-12, and hopefully, eventually into her classroom.
Dr. Abeer Hasan earned her bachelor degree in Mathematics from the university of Jordan and her Ph.D. in Mathematics with a concentration in Statistics from Bowling Green State University in 2013. Later that year, Dr. Hasan joined the Department of Mathematics at Humboldt State University where she has been teaching statistics courses such as Introductory Statistics, Bio-statistics, Mathematical Statistics, Probability and Statistical Modeling. She is dedicated to student success and creating an inclusive and equitable learning environment for her students. Her research activities focus on mathematical statistics, distribution theory, and the scholarship of teaching and learning.
Dr. Milagros Loreto is a Latina, born in South America and a first-generation college graduate. She holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science, MS. in Mathematics and a BS in Applied Mathematics. Since 2014, Dr. Loreto works at the University of Washington Bothell (UWB) at the School of STEM. From 2014 to 2020, she was a Tenure-Track Assistant Professor, and in 2020 she was promoted to Associate Professor. She teaches courses from basic math to optimization electives, and mentors undergraduate students in optimization research projects. Her passion for undergraduate research has been strong for her whole career. As a result of her work with undergraduate students, she was honored with the 2018 Chancellor’s Distinguished Undergraduate Research and Creative Practice Mentor Award. Furthermore, she was recognized at the 2019 Latinx Faculty Recognition Event hosted by the Latino Center for Health at the University of Washington. Before joining UWB, Dr. Loreto worked as a Tenure-Track Assistant Professor of Mathematics at Florida Memorial University (FMU), an HBCU institution dedicated to teaching. There, she received awards such as Scholar of the Year 2012, and Teacher of the Year 2013 for the Division of Computer Science and Mathematics. Her teaching and research experience started at the Universidad Central de Venezuela, where she held a position of Aggregate Exclusive Dedication Professor before deciding to move to the United States of America.
Dr. Stephanie Salomone is Chair of the Mathematics Department and Director of the STEM Education and Outreach Center at the University of Portland. She earned her Ph.D. in mathematics at UCLA in 2005 and has been at UP ever since. She is PI on the NSF REFLECT program, supporting STEM faculty in development and implementation of evidence-based pedagogical practices and peer observation for formative assessment and reflective practice. She is a facilitator for the Academy of Inquiry-Based Learning workshops for math faculty. She sits on the Board of Directors for Saturday Academy, a 501c3 in Portland, and is Chair of the Leadership Team for the Portland Metro STEM Partnership, one of 13 STEM Hubs in Oregon. She received the 2019 Oregon Academy of Sciences Outstanding Educator in Math and Science – Higher Education award, and the 2009 University of Portland Outstanding Teaching Award.
Dr. Brandy Wiegers is an Associate Professor at Central Washington University in Ellensburg, Washington. She grew up in Meridian, Idaho having spent her youth as a dedicated Girl Scout. Her undergraduate work was in Biological Systems Engineering and Mathematics at the University of Idaho. In 2008 she completed a Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics at the University of California, Davis. From Davis she worked at the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute as the founding director of the National Association of Math Circles. She then made her way to San Francisco State University as the Co-Director of the (CM)^2 NSF GK12 program and a Program Director for CSME. Dr. Wiegers began working at CWU in 2014 and over her tenure at Central she has created the Kittitas Valley Math Circle, co-founded the Journal of Math Circles, and served as counselor on the Council on Undergraduate Research.
Dr. Heather Dillon is an Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Portland where her research team is currently working on renewable energy systems, solid-state lighting, thermal systems and engineering education. She is currently the Vice Chair of the Council on Undergraduate Research Engineering Division. Before joining the university, Heather Dillon worked for the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) as a senior research engineer working on both energy efficiency and renewable energy systems. She has received awards for mentoring undergraduate students including the US Department of Energy Office of Science Outstanding Mentor Award, and the University of Portland Provost’s Award for Outstanding Undergraduate Research Faculty Member. Dr. Dillon recently served as the Fulbright Canada Research Chair in STEM Education at the University of Calgary, Alberta. Dr. Dillon received her Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Washington with a M.S. in Applied Mathematics. She holds a B.S and M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Idaho.
Dr. Cassandra Fallscheer is an Assistant Professor of physics at Central Washington University where she teaches most of the courses in the astronomy minor program and mentors undergraduate research students. She earned her PhD in Astronomy at the University of Heidelberg where she studied high-mass star formation. Dr. Fallscheer was a Postdoctoral Researcher at the NRC-Herzberg/University of Victoria where she studied high- and low-mass star formation using data from the Herschel Space Observatory.
Dr. Eve Klopf is an Associate Professor at the Oregon Institute of Technology; she has also been the program director for the electrical engineering program on the Klamath Falls campus for five years. Dr. Klopf earned her PhD in Electrical Engineering at Colorado State University in 2011; her PhD work focused on computational electromagnetics. At Oregon Tech, she teaches classes in the areas of circuits, electromagnetics and communication systems. She is also the Women in Engineering (WIE) Chair for IEEE Oregon Section and Oregon Tech’s affiliate representative to the Oregon Space Grant Consortium. Her general interests include electromagnetics and the Internet of Things.
Dr. Nicole J Moore is an Associate Professor of Physics at Gonzaga University, as well as the Faculty Fellow for Early Career Faculty Support in the Center for Teaching and Advising there. She enjoys teaching courses from across the physics and general education curriculum and working to help new faculty acclimate to Gonzaga. She earned her PhD in Optics from the Institute of Optics at the University of Rochester, and her research centers on theoretical, computational, and experimental investigation of highly-focused lasers and their interactions with cell-sized particles. She enjoys running, swimming, volunteering, and spending time with her family.