Melanie has a B.S. and Ph.D. in molecular biology from the University of Pittsburgh and completed postdoctoral training in learning sciences at Georgia State University.
She is affiliated with the University of Colorado Boulder as a researcher in the Institute of Cognitive Science and teaches introductory biology as part of the Health Professionals Residential Academic Program. Her research is focused on how people learn biology, with an emphasis on teaching about the nature of science knowledge and how we can use educational technologies to assess students’ understanding of science. She is one of the co-founders of BRIDGES and works to improve communication and collaboration across disciplinary boundaries.
Melanie is the author of the best-selling book, Biology Everywhere: How the science of life matters to everyday life. Biology Everywhere is a journey through the science of life as told through our daily experiences. The associated Biology Everywhere Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) launched in Fall 2020 and enrolled more than 3,000 people from around the world within the first quarter.
Melanie coaches others on writing for the general public and is editor of the BRIDGES Blog and co-editor of Society for Learning Analytics NEXUS Blog. She is also launching a new science communication course on Coursera in early 2021. When not writing, Melanie enjoys playing her flute and piccolo and enjoying all that Colorado has to offer in the great outdoors with her husband and son.
Dr. Anita Schuchardt
Dr. Schuhardt is an assistant professor in the Department of Biology Teaching and Learning at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. She holds two doctoral degrees, one in the learning sciences and another in biology, and identifies as an interdisciplinary researcher. Her current research interest is understanding how students make sense of biology, particularly mathematical expressions in biology and how model-based instruction may support sensemaking.
Dr. Daniel is an associate professor at Texas State University (TXST). She is a DBER researcher (as defined by Peffer & Renken, 2016) with a strong content background in biology and current interested in science communication and exploring how biology content is learned and shared through visual representations in efforts to make science more accessible. Dr. Daniel has designed, taught graduate courses in educational research methods at the University of Southern Mississippi and TXST and has advised and/or served on the committees of 31 student research theses.
Myra McConnell
Myra recently graduated from Texas State University with her Master’s in Biology. She went to Alfred University in New York for her Bachelor’s Degree in Biology with minors in Chemistry and Psychology. She is currently at the University of Minnesota for her Ph.D. program in STEM education.