Mandy Peel | https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanda-peel-947947135/
New Mexico State University (NMSU) has established its first-ever faculty cluster dedicated to STEM+ education research. The cluster, comprising five newly appointed professors, will work collaboratively on research initiatives aimed at enhancing STEM+ education. This move comes after the recent establishment of the STEM+ Education Research Institute at NMSU.
According to a press release from NMSU, the faculty cluster consists of five professors, while two other professors are part of the STEM+ Education Research Institute. Together, they will focus on advancing STEM+ education through their research efforts.
The newly appointed professors bring a diverse range of expertise to the cluster. Suparna Chatterjee, originally from India, specializes in TPAL (Teacher Preparation and Learning), while Adaline De Chenne, from northern Washington, focuses on mathematics. Mandy Peel, originally from El Paso, teaches in TPAL, and Patty Lopez, with an industrial background, hails from northern New Mexico. Additionally, Mariana Alvidrez, a former teacher in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, is also part of TPAL.
In a press release, Mandy Peel expressed the importance of cross-disciplinary and interdisciplinary work in STEM+ education research. She said, "I want to make sure that all of these ways of knowing are accessible to everyone from multiple perspectives and multiple angles because all of us come with different backgrounds and there's so much potential when we come together from these different perspectives."
Despite having met only twice this semester, the faculty cluster has already begun working on research proposals and collaborative projects, according to a press release. This early progress demonstrates their dedication to advancing STEM+ education.
Suparna Chatterjee emphasized the need to redefine success in STEM+ education. She stated, "We need to shift what we consider to be successful... That might mean shifting success from being able to do certain computations to what we can qualitatively reason about these problems we teach students to solve."
The establishment of the faculty cluster and the STEM+ Education Research Institute at NMSU demonstrates the university's commitment to improving STEM+ education. By bringing together experts from various disciplines, NMSU aims to enhance the quality and accessibility of STEM+ education for students.
