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Jean Larson has a Ph.D. in Educational Technology, postgraduate training in Computer Systems Engineering, and many years of experience teaching and developing curriculum in various learning environments. She has taught technology integration and teacher training to undergraduate and graduate students at Arizona State University, students at the K-12 level locally and abroad, and various workshops and modules in business and industry. Dr. Larson is experienced in the application of instructional design, delivery, evaluation, and specializes in eLearning technologies for training and development. Her research interests focus on efficient and effective online learning, and how instructors are prepared to teach in digital environments. She coordinates outreach events for the Center for Bio-mediated and Bio-inspired Geotechnics (CBBG) with local school districts and organizations, various centers on the ASU campus, and summer programs for teachers, high school students and undergraduates. She also develops CBBG curriculum for learners at the K-12, college, and professional development levels.

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Dr. Wilhelmina "Willi" C. Savenye is a professor and program leader in Educational Technology at Arizona State University. She previously taught at the University of Texas at Austin and San Diego State University. She earned her M.Ed. and Ph.D. in Educational Technology from ASU, and B.A/ in Anthropology from the University of Washington. Dr. Savenye focuses on instructional design and evaluation of technology-based and online learning systems, employing both quantitative and qualitative research methodologies. She has published over 70 articles and book chapters; made over 140 conference presentations and workshops in the U.S., Europe and Asia; been awarded numerous grants, and has produced many digital learning programs. She serves as Editor of the Journal of Applied Instructional Design. She has served on the editorial boards of journals including Educational Technology: Research and Development and the Quarterly Review of Distance Education, and reviews for additional journals. She serves on the editorial board for the Encyclopedia of Educational Technology and has held elected leadership positions.
Dr. Savenye’s instructional design and evaluation work has been conducted in such diverse settings as school districts, museums, botanical gardens, zoos, universities, corporations, and Army tank maintenance training.

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Claudia Zapata is Associate Professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment. Dr. Zapata’s research interest is in the area of unsaturated soil behavior. She has focused her work on laboratory and field characterization of problematic soils; applications related to the hydro-thermal and mechanical behavior of soils due to static and repeated loading; modeling fluid flow and volume change of soils applied to pavement structures and residential foundation systems; and the assessment of the environmental effects on soil behavior. Current research activities include the study of the effects of thermal gradients on airfield pavement structures and the characterization of fiber-reinforced clay materials. She is currently overviewing the Engineering Education and Diversity program of the NSF Engineering Research Center called Center for Bio-mediated and Bio-inspired Geotechnics. Dr. Zapata has authored more than 50 technical publications; is the Chair of the Transportation Research Board committee on the Behavior of Unsaturated Geomaterials and active member of several committees for TRB and the ASCE. Consulting expertise include the evaluation of airfield design procedures, forensic investigations of pavement failures, and the assessment of environmental effects on pavement design; for several companies and agencies, including the Louisiana State DOT, US Army Corps of Engineers, AMEC and Parsons.

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Nasser Hamdan is the Industrial Collaboration and Innovation Director (Industry Liaison Officer) and Assistant Research Professor at the Center for Bio-mediated and Bio-inspired Geotechnics. Dr. Hamdan’s expertise includes biogeotechnical engineering and biogeochemical processes for ground improvement and remediation. His research activities involve experimentation and analytical testing related to induced carbonate precipitation using biological processes and macromolecules such as enzymes and biopolymers. He is involved in various projects directed towards the improvement of the bulk mechanical properties of soil, surficial soil stabilization, sustainable building materials, facilitated mineral precipitation and environmental remediation.

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Professor Kavazanjian is a Regents Professor and the Ira A. Fulton Professor of Geotechnical Engineering at Arizona State University (ASU). He is also Director of the Center for Bio-mediated and Bio-inspired Geotechnics, a National Science Foundation Gen-3 Engineering Research Center. He has Bachelor and Master of Science degrees from M.I.T. and a PhD from the University of California at Berkeley in Civil Engineering, specializing in Geotechnical Engineering. He was on the faculty at Stanford University for 7 years and then spent 20 years in engineering practice before joining the faculty at ASU in 2004. He was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2013 for his work on the mechanical properties of municipal solid waste, analysis and design of waste containment systems, and geotechnical earthquake engineering. He is a past-President of the Geo-Institute of the American Society of Civil Engineers, representing the 11,000+ geotechnical engineers that are members of ASCE.

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