Building Inclusive Excellence
As an ecosystem of educators committed to inclusive excellence, we are implementing, facilitating, and assessing evidence-based learning communities comprised of cross-level educators from five of our state’s community colleges and University of Wyoming.
We are part of a larger national learning community all dedicated to answering the question: how can the supporting network and the teams focused on key projects build effective 2-year and 4-year transfer partnerships that forge inclusive student environments promoting the success of diverse STEM transfer students? Please contact Rachel Watson ([email protected]) the Program Director of Wyoming’s Inclusive Excellence Team if you would like to be a part of one of our Learning Communities. This program is supported in part by a grant to University of Wyoming from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute through the Science Education Program. |
Meet your network Building mentors
Erin Bentley
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/0/2/130203991/erin-bentley-photo-sm_orig.jpg)
Erin is a graduate student in Botany and the Program in Ecology and Evolution (PIEE). Erin’s background is in microbiology, evolutionary biology, educational and community outreach, game theory and creative writing. A transdisciplinarian, Erin seeks ways to push the boundaries of science in the interest of art integration. She is the founder of a grass-roots graduate education outreach group called COPSE. She heads the Microbestiary, an NSF-funded sci-art integration effort to bring microbiology to viewers through an artistic lens.
Rebecca Austin
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/0/2/130203991/austin-photo-sm.jpg?250)
Rebecca was number five in a family of seven, although that played out in her favor as she got all the hand-me-down Legos from her older brothers. As she grew up watching Bill Nye, MythBusters, and Nat Geo, her love for science grew, and her passion for STEM never faltered (except for Math just a little bit in high school). She has always had a love for learning which drives her to create and make new things, as well as experiment with what she has. With her art background and love for the STEM fields, she’s currently working on creating outreach activities and games that involve the younger community in hopes of getting them excited about STEAM!
Austin received a B.F.A in Art with a concentration in Graphic Design at the University of Wyoming in 2019. During her time as an art student, she focused on digital creation including using mixed realities, 3D modeling, 3D printing, and laser cutting. Today, Austin runs the Innovation Wyrkshop as the Makerspace Coordinator and manages the day-to-day as well as coordinating outreach efforts and collaborations in the surrounding area. In addition to managing the Wyrkshop, she has piloted the first InnovateHer afterschool club in September 2022, geared toward 11-17-year-old female and female-identifying youth.
When not working, Rebecca enjoys doing anything and everything she can including 3D modeling, gaming, cooking, and the occasional outdoor activity with her family and dog.
Austin received a B.F.A in Art with a concentration in Graphic Design at the University of Wyoming in 2019. During her time as an art student, she focused on digital creation including using mixed realities, 3D modeling, 3D printing, and laser cutting. Today, Austin runs the Innovation Wyrkshop as the Makerspace Coordinator and manages the day-to-day as well as coordinating outreach efforts and collaborations in the surrounding area. In addition to managing the Wyrkshop, she has piloted the first InnovateHer afterschool club in September 2022, geared toward 11-17-year-old female and female-identifying youth.
When not working, Rebecca enjoys doing anything and everything she can including 3D modeling, gaming, cooking, and the occasional outdoor activity with her family and dog.
Sabrina White
Sabrina is a graduate student in the Program in Ecology and Evolution, where she studies the effects of heat stress on bumble bees. Her research aims to understand how bee populations might be affected by climate change. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Florida in Entomology, where she grew to adore insects. She then worked outside academia as a ski instructor, EMT, raft guide, and US Naval officer before returning to school. Teaching and outreach are her passions, and she especially loves to share her love of insects and physiology.
Ali (Alessandra) Ceretto
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/0/2/130203991/cerretto-photo-small_orig.jpg)
Alessandra Ceretto is a PhD candidate in the Program in Ecology and Evolution out of the Department of Botany at the University of Wyoming. Her work is looking at how plants talk to the microorganisms that live around plant roots, and how plants may be locally adapted to the soil chemistry and microbial communities within their home range. She is also a professional opera singer, and enjoys creative writing and making crochet stuffed animals.
Ellen KeAVEny
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/0/2/130203991/keaveny_orig.png)
After growing up in St. Louis, MO, I was blown away by the beauty and processes of the mountains surrounding the college I attended in Durango, CO (B.S. Environmental Biology & B.A Spanish at Fort Lewis College). After processing human grafts for transplant after college, I shifted focus back to ecology joining Michael Dillon's lab at the University of Wyoming. My research focuses on how temperature, from a cold snap in spring to changing seasons, influences bumble bee behavior and phenology, like when queens emerge in the spring and other key life history traits. This research includes investigating everything from the cellular compositions of bumble bees to surveying them across altitudes in the spring, summer, and fall. Overall, my research aims to address how and why bumble bees thrive in the variable environments that we find them.
Jeremy Chappell
Hello everyone! My name is Jeremy Chappell, and it's a pleasure to meet you all!
I began my academic journey at Northwest College in Powell, WY, where I studied from 2019 to 2022. After that, I transferred to the University of Wyoming. As of now, I'm completing my first year at UW as a mechanical engineering major. However, I plan to switch to environmental systems science in the upcoming fall semester. My academic interests revolve around the intricate relationships between society, the environment, and technology. I'm passionate about understanding the effects of technological advancements on both our environment and societal structures. By adopting an interdisciplinary approach, I aim to explore the interconnectedness of these factors and contribute to the development of sustainable solutions for the challenges they pose. My research interests include climate change adaptation and mitigation, sustainable urban planning, environmental policy and regulation (as well as monitoring and assessment), and, naturally, interdisciplinary research. Outside of academics, I enjoy gaming, watching movies and video essays, listening to podcasts, weightlifting (though I'm a bit out of practice!), and spending time with my cats! |
Ben Romanjenko
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/0/2/130203991/romenjenko-photo_orig.png)
Ben Romanjenko is a Ph.D. student in the University of Wyoming, Botany Department. His research centers around the dynamics of water limitation on how plants facilitate the use of water and energy. To better understand the dynamics of water limitation he uses a variety of approaches to scale stress response between the photosystem II protein complex and plant physiology measurements. With no clear path from protein to plant scaling, he is interested in how other fields may approachthis problem.
Maren Anderson
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/0/2/130203991/maren-photo-sm_orig.jpg)
I am a senior at UW from Cheyenne, WY. I am majoring in microbiology and currently work in a microbiology research lab studying Coxiella burnetii and as a Learning Assistant for the general microbiology course. In my free time I enjoy hiking, skiing, and just being outdoors!
Megan Szojka
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/0/2/130203991/szojka-photo_orig.jpg)
Megan is a community ecologist studying how mechanisms of plant coexistence shift in the context of climate change. She has worked in a diversity of locations, from studying the behavior of Ferruginous hawks in her home province of Alberta, to fire dynamics in the South African fynbos. For her PhD work she is interested in how interactions between species of alpine plants may be altered by changing climates, with implications for predicting biodiversity change. She loves combining mathematical models with ecology to answer questions beyond the scope of time and space that humans experience. She is passionate about making opportunities for discovery accessible and equal for all. You can learn more from her website MEGAN SZOJKA - Megan Szojka's Website (weebly.com)