Leveraging Contextualized Curriculum to Increase Recruitment and Retention in STEM
Join Professors Kalyn Owens & Ann Murkowski from North Seattle College to see how contextualizing content and engaging students' equity ethic can help increase recruitment and retention of women and BIPOC students in STEM.
Dr. Kalyn Shea Owens, Author, Faculty, North Seattle College
Ann J. Murkowski, Author, Faculty, North Seattle College
In many areas of the STEM fields, women and BIPOC are continuously underrepresented. Join Professors Kalyn Owens and Ann Murkowski from North Seattle College as they discuss how contextualizing the content and engaging students' equity ethic can help to increase the recruitment and retention of women and BIPOC students in STEM.
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About the speakers
Dr. Kalyn Shea Owens, Author, Faculty, North Seattle College
Dr. Kalyn Shea Owens earned her undergraduate degree in Chemistry from the University of California San Diego, and her Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from the University of California, Davis. She then transitioned to chemical education research as an NSF funded Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Washington, College of Education. This transition to education research was the point in her pathway that she found her true passion and calling. Combining chemistry content knowledge with the tools to investigate how people learn chemistry is her life-long mission, and she is particularly interested in how diverse student populations can thrive and find success in early gateway courses. Owens is currently a professor at North Seattle College where she teaches a range of chemistry courses and engages in research that focuses on designing and assessing interdisciplinary STEM curriculum, investigating students’ conceptions of the representational nature of chemistry, and exploring how early research experiences promote equity and inclusion. Owens has received three awards for innovation and excellence in teaching and continues to obtain funding from the National Science Foundation to transform the chemistry learning experience to be inclusive and engaging. Owens enjoys spending time outdoors with her family and inspiring students from all walks of life to learn and love chemistry.
Ann J. Murkowski, Author, Faculty, North Seattle College
Ann Murkowski earned her B.S. degree in Biology from the University of Puget Sound and her M.S. in Molecular and Evolutionary Biology from Western Washington University. She spent seven years working in biotechnology for both the University of Washington and a private start-up before returning to her first love, teaching. Murkowski is currently a faculty member at North Seattle College in Seattle Washington where she teaches a broad range of biology courses for both majors and non-majors. Murkowski is passionate about the power of interdisciplinary teaching and learning to engage all students and promote equity in all STEM disciplines. She and Kalyn Owens have been teaching integrated biology and chemistry classes in a variety of formats since 2005. She also believes in the transformative power of early research experiences for science students and manages two NSF-funded programs to provide research experiences and support to early-stage science students. In her spare time, Murkowski loves to hike, bike, and explore the great outdoors.