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Dr. Vanessa Svihla is a learning scientist and assistant professor at the University of New Mexico in the Organization, Information & Learning Sciences program, and in the Chemical & Biological Engineering Department. She served as Co-PI on an NSF RET Grant and a USDA NIFA grant, and is currently co-PI on three NSF-funded projects in engineering and computer science education, including a Revolutionizing Engineering Departments project. She was selected as a National Academy of Education / Spencer Postdoctoral Fellow. Dr. Svihla studies learning in authentic, real world conditions; this includes a two-strand research program focused on (1) authentic assessment, often aided by interactive technology, and (2) design learning, in which she studies engineers designing devices, scientists designing investigations, teachers designing learning experiences and students designing to learn.

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Jamie Gomez, Ph.D., is a Lecturer Title III in the department of Chemical & Biological Engineering (CBE) at the University of New Mexico. She is a co- Principal Investigator for the National Science Foundation (NSF) funded Professional Formation of Engineers: Research Initiation in Engineering Formation (PFE: RIEF) for the project- Using Digital Badging and Design Challenge Modules to Develop Professional Identity. She is a member of the department’s ABET and Undergraduate Curriculum Committee, as well as faculty advisor for several student societies. She is the instructor of several courses in the CBE curriculum including the Material and Energy Balances, junior laboratories and Capstone Design courses. She is associated with several professional organizations including the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) and American Society of Chemical Engineering Education (ASEE) where she adopts and contributes to innovative pedagogical methods aimed at improving student learning and retention.

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Sophia Bowers is a PhD candidate in the Organization, Information, & Learning Sciences at University of New Mexico. She is interested in understanding how individuals and organizations learn and apply knowledge in real settings; and in creating positive learning and work environments. She has a B.S. in Engineering, an M.BA., and has worked in industry for over 18 years.

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Abhaya Datye has been on the faculty at the University of New Mexico after receiving his PhD in Chemical Engineering at the University of Michigan in 1984. He is presently Chair of the department and Distinguished Regents Professor of Chemical & Biological Engineering. From 1994-2014 he served as Director of the Center for Microengineered Materials, a strategic research center at UNM that reports to the Vice President for Research. He is also the founding director of the graduate interdisciplinary program in Nanoscience and Microsystems, the first program at UNM to span three schools and colleges and the Anderson Business School. He served as director of this program from 2007 – 2014. His research interests are in heterogeneous catalysis, materials characterization and nanomaterials synthesis. His research group has pioneered the development of electron microscopy tools for the study of catalysts.

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Paige Prescott has been a classroom science teacher, a curriculum designer and is currently a
PhD student at the University of New Mexico in the Organization, Information and Learning
Sciences department where she is interested in design experiences for both adults and students
as they relate to learning computer science and computational thinking. She regularly conducts
teacher professional development for teachers new to computer science and has helped to
develop online supports for their continued professional growth.

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James received a Bachelor of Science in Education with a Mathematics Minor from the University of New Mexico in 2005. He spent two years as a teacher of English as a Foreign Language in the Peace Corps, China program. Following, he spent five years as a Mathematics instructor for Albuquerque Public Schools in Albuquerque, New Mexico, before deciding to pursue a degree in Engineering. He received his Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering in May, 2016, and is currently pursuing a Master of Science in Biomedical Engineering.

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Jordan O. James is a PhD student whose research focuses on Identity and Culture as it relates to the science of learning. A member of the Grand Portage Band of the Lake Superior Chippewa Jordan obtained both his Masters of Community & Regional Planning and Bachelors of Media Arts from the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque where he lives with his wife and three daughters.

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