Diana Moss

My research agenda has transitioned from understanding how children make sense of mathematics in classroom settings to investigating pre-service teachers’ learning in mathematics methods courses and mathematics content courses. This transition occurred because I wanted to do research that would make a difference in my own teaching practice. At my first milestone and dissertation, I learned to study children’s learning of mathematics, specifically algebra, in a classroom setting. My second milestone was my third-year review and reappointment at Appalachian State University where I transitioned to learning to study pre-service teachers’ learning of mathematics. My third milestone occurred when I became an assistant professor at Utah State University and reframed my research to study pre-service teachers’ learning of mathematics and methods. My fourth milestone occurred when I became a teaching assistant professor at University of Nevada, Reno in the midst of the pandemic and focused on teaching mathematics content courses in an online synchronous setting and face-to-face setting. I have actively pursued practitioner research with the intention of “providing insights into teaching in an effort to make change” (Dana & Yendol-Hoppey, 2014, p. 9). Since 2018, I have been involved in research projects to help me engage in reflective practice and bring about positive change in my teaching. The projects are separate in nature, but all strive to connect my teaching philosophy, the course learning goals, teaching activity, and evidence of student learning. The purpose of each project is to analyze and transform teaching to create new learning experiences that focus on conceptual understanding based on meaningful reflections on teaching.

Ping Wang

Ping Wang is a mathematics instructor at Great Basin College (GBC). She was the former director of Academic Success and Testing Center (ASC) at GBC. Ping Wang has worked in higher education for 12 years, and has always been passionate and dedicated to promoting students’ success, both academically and professionally. Currently, Ping Wang is working on her Ph.D. degree in Education at the University of Nevada, Reno, with the emphasis of educational information and technology.

Merryn Cole

Dr. Cole’s research interests focus on the relationship between spatial thinking and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) content as well as the ways in which teachers understand and implement project-based instruction and the impact of implementation on students’ understanding of STEM content. Other research interests include the content understanding and self-efficacy of practitioners of science communication and/or science outreach and the impacts on their audiences.

Erica Marti

Dr. Erica Marti’s main research interests are in water and wastewater treatment, especially in the area of transforming wastewater for a beneficial reuse (drinking water, irrigation water, etc.). Past work has included understanding the formation of unregulated disinfection byproducts (DBPs) and investigating different methods to prevent their formation. DBPs are created when water is disinfected with chemical oxidants like different forms of chlorine and ozone. We use the chemicals to inactivate pathogens (bacteria, viruses, etc.) but the chemicals can react with other dissolved organics and inorganics to create unwanted byproducts, some of which are toxic. Therefore, water treatment professionals must work carefully to provide the right amount of oxidant for disinfection while minimizing DBPs.
Future research topics include remediation of polluted groundwater, adsorption of heavy metals from wastewater using biochar made from agricultural waste products, uptake of DBPs in plants grown using treated wastewater, and optimizing toxicity assays for DBPs.
Dr. Marti also conducts research in the area of STEM education and has led several Teacher Professional Development programs for integrated STEM lessons and engineering design.

Jacque Ewing-Taylor

As the Institutional Grants Coordinator, Jacque Ewing-Taylor brings together interdisciplinary research teams to respond to high-profile grant Requests For Proposal (RFPs) and coordinates the support for proposal review.

Ewing-Taylor also holds the position of associate director of the Raggio Research Center for STEM Education. The Raggio Center is focused on the educational aspects of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) such as professional development for educators and improving instruction for students.

A major function of the center is supporting the evaluation portion of the grant process and this correlates to Ewing-Taylor’s primary research interest—studying professional development strategies that best increase teacher effectiveness. Ewing-Taylor points out that, “kids are natural scientists” and she is focused on finding the best ways to develop those tendencies.