Allison Antink-Meyer
aameyer@ilstu.edu
Allison received her B.S. in Chemistry and M.A. in Secondary Science Education from DePaul University. She received her Ph.D. in Science Education from Illinois Institute of Technology. As an undergraduate and then graduate researcher under the supervision of Dr. Arun Wagh at Argonne National Laboratory, she investigated the application of engineered materials for the stabilization of spent nuclear fuels to applications like dental cements and building materials. Her experience in materials engineering and work as an analytical chemist in an environmental remediation laboratory have influenced her work around science and engineering literacy and the importance of education for sustainability.
She is a former high school and higher education chemistry teacher who has also served as a summer STEM and sustainability teacher with elementary and middle grades learners from the U.S. and Taiwan. She serves as the local evaluator for two 21st Century Community Learning Center grants and served as a PI on an engineering education grant for kindergarten to eighth grade teachers. That project brought sustained engineering education into classrooms in 17 Central Illinois schools .
Allison has taught undergraduate and graduate courses in chemistry, chemistry education, elementary science education, middle level science education, teacher education, and assessment at Illinois State University, North Park University, and during her doctoral studies at the Illinois Institute of Technology.
Her research focuses on how teachers perceive what science and engineering are and how their views influence their instruction and learners. Her scholarship has contributed insights and instruments to both science and engineering education that have been taken up by learning standards, other researchers, and teacher educators around the world. She is an author and collaborator of more than 30 peer reviewed publications, proceedings, book chapters, and patents.
Tony Lorsbach
awlorsb@ilstu.edu
Tony received his B.A and M.S. in biology from the University of Missouri – St. Louis. While there he participated in population ecology (oak trees) and evolutionary ecology (wasps & beetles) research. He also taught classes in introductory biology, vertebrate biology, and animal behavior. He worked briefly as a biologist at Monsanto before beginning his middle and high school teaching career in Florida – and doctoral studies at Florida State University.
While at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, he was Assistant Director of the Institute for Science Education at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, where he worked on curriculum and professional development programs sponsored by NSF and NASA. The $10 million NSF-sponsored program impacted the curriculum and teaching practices of over 1500 teachers in seven school districts. He also consulted with the Space and Rocket Center before moving to ISU in 1996.
His recent scholarship activities are centered on natural history education, using the correspondences of Charles Darwin to teach aspects of the nature of science, and examining sociocultural and emotional dimensions of elementary teacher candidates’ decision making.
At ISU Tony has taught over 20 graduate and undergraduate courses in the elementary, middle level, and graduate programs for the School of Teaching and Learning. He coordinated the elementary education program during an NCATE accreditation visit, taught in five Professional Development School settings, and served as Interim Director of the School of Teaching and Learning for two years. He has been principal investigator or co-pi at ISU of grants totaling more than $4 million and is a member of the Research and Sponsored Program’s Million Dollar Club. Tony has a joint appointment in the School of Biological Sciences in the biology education sequence of the Biology Ph.D. program.
Ryan Brown
rbrown@ilstu.edu
Ryan is a Professor of Secondary Education and serves as the Associate Dean in the College of Education. Ryan earned Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in technology education from Ball State University and a Ph.D. in Curriculum Studies from Indiana University. Dr. Brown began his teaching career as a middle and high school technology and engineering teacher in Indiana.
Ryan has consistently been involved in technology, engineering, and STEM curriculum development. He has written numerous curriculum modules for the Center for Implementing Technology Education and for the International Technology and Engineering Educators Association. He is the co-author on several textbooks including, Engineering Fundamentals; Exploring Design, Technology, & Engineering; and Energy, Power, & Transportation Technology.
Ryan has also been active in teacher learning and professional development of teachers in the areas of STEM and Career and Technical Education. He has been the principal investigator or co-pi for over $4 million dollars in grants that have led to the creation of a Masters in STEM Education and Leadership, numerous teacher workshops, and statewide teacher conferences that reached thousands of Illinois teachers. His grant writing led to membership in the Million Dollar Club at Illinois State University.
Ryan teaches courses in the secondary education program and doctoral courses related to doctoral scholarship and teacher education. He holds a joint appointment in the Department of Technology and has taught a technology education course in that department. His recent scholarship activities focus on the nature of engineering knowledge and the inclusion of engineering content within educational standards.
Soo Won Shim
sshim12@ilstu.edu
Soo Won is an assistant professor of Elementary Science Education. She earned an MA in Biological Science and a PhD in Science Education from Purdue University. She holds a BA in Elementary Education from Ewha Womans University and an MA in Educational Psychology from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where she focused on positive psychology. Her teaching career began as an elementary teacher in Seoul, South Korea.
Drawing from her diverse academic background, she has developed interdisciplinary approaches to teaching and researching cross-cultural STEM education. Her research interests include empathic engineering design, culturally responsive pedagogies, and the integration of AI technology in STEM education. She teaches elementary science methods courses, supporting teacher candidates in embracing innovative teaching methodologies in STEM education.
Richard Bex
rtbex@ilstu.edu