Meet the members!
Current Members:
- Post-doc: Danny Ferguson, Tina Masterson
- Doctoral: Ryan Spencer, Jill Zipperer, Fahad Alam, Amandeep Kaur
- Masters: Mallika Saha, Carolyn Jess, Hannah Baratang
- Undergraduate: Zachary Mejia, Raylee Schobel, & Kim Lumsden
We are always looking to expand our crew! If you are interested in applying to join our team, please fill out an inquiry form!
Danny Ferguson is from Mapleton, Utah. He received his Ph.D. from Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. While at BYU, he studied best practices to help students reconcile evolution with their religious beliefs and potential factors that affect evolution acceptance. He also studied how popular media portrays evolution and wants to continue to examine how this may affect students’ preconceptions of evolution. He is currently a postdoctoral research associate at Texas State University, where he continues to study evolution education. In his free time, Danny enjoys reading books (mostly fantasy and non-fiction) and spending time with his wife and five kids. They love going on little hikes and looking for all kinds of wildlife, especially birds.
Ryan Spencer graduated from Texas State University – San Marcos in December 2009 where he received his BS in Water Studies with a minor in Geology. He continued his education at Texas State University and in December of 2013 graduated with a Master of Applied Geography in Geographic Information Science.
Ryan is currently working as the Research Coordinator at the Meadows Center for Water and the Environment. In this capacity he helps develop relationships, build strategic alliances, and fosters an inclusive environment in the pursuit of the Meadows Center’s Mission.
“Inspiring research and leadership that ensures clean, abundant water for the environment and all humanity.”
Mallika Saha is a research enthusiast who wants to explore new things. She completed her BSc and MSc in Zoology from Jagannath University, Bangladesh. After graduation, she worked as a Research Assistant at the department of biology at Jagannath University. Later, she joined a developmental organization as a Liaison and Monitoring officer of a British Council project. The project was focused on food safety and the empowerment of rural women.
Mallika is currently pursuing her second Master’s in Biology at Texas State University and working on her research project. Her research project is visual assessments of college biology students’ phylogenetic tree-thinking, where she wants to explore how the eye-tracking method could help students interpret trees correctly.
Carolyn Jess graduated from Sam Houston State University in 2022 where she earned her bachelor’s degree in environmental science with a track in sustainability. Here, she furthered her passion for wildlife conservation and Texas’s endangered species.
She is now working toward earning her master’s degree in biology at Texas State University. She is currently working on a project to determine what makes 5th-grade students feel most like a scientist when taking part in a science-based activity. Using these findings, she plans to create an activity for Minding the Hill Country to engage and involve others in the world of science.
Past Graduate Researchers (Current Position):
- Brady Pringle (Georgetown IDS, Substitute Teacher)
Research Rangers: Nature Invaders (Master’s Project)
- Miranda Wait (The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment, Deputy Director of Spring Lake Education)
Connecting Interest in and Awareness of the Environment with an Informal Experience (Master’s Thesis)
- Rachel Lincoln Seets (Hill Country Alliance, Landowner Outreach Stewardship Manager)
An examination of best practices and impact of an outdoor science inquiry with elementary students (Master’s Thesis)
- Jenn Idema (Texas State University, Functional Biology Lab Coordinator)
Exploring the Impacts of Socioscientific Environmental Issues Through Aquarium Exhibits (Doctoral Dissertation)
- Myra McConnell (Inver Hills Community College, University of Minnesota, Biology Faculty)
An In-depth Investigation into a Faculty’s Development of an Active-Learning Course (Master’s Thesis)
- Bria Marty (Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi, Doctoral Student)
Assessing Public Perceptions of Spiders and Identifying Trends in Community Science Participation
- Zach Nolen (Austin Community College, Faculty & Elgin IDS, Science Teacher)
A Consideration into Ways Biology-Based Student Organizations Facilitate Participation in STEM (Doctoral Dissertation)
- Sara Salisbury (Middle Tennessee State University, Doctoral Candidate)
An Investigation of Preservice Teachers’ Engagement and Perceptions of Science Learning in Outdoor Learning Environments (Master’s Thesis)
- Austin Leone (USDA, Staff Scientist & Program Evaluator)
An Investigation of Relationships between Student Acceptance of Evolution, Tree-Thinking, and Eye Movement among different Instructional Interventions (Master’s Thesis)
- Jennifer Mraz-Craig (Southern Utah University, Faculty)
Identities and Motives of Naturalist Development Program Attendees and their Relation to Professional Careers (Doctoral Dissertation)
- Chandrani Mishra, (Purdue, Postdoctoral Scholar)
Investigating the Impact of Reflexive Practices on College Students in a Science Laboratory Course (Doctoral Dissertation)
- Aubin St. Clair (Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality, OPC-FSD-South Regional Office)
Naturalists’ Perspectives on the Use of Mobile Technology during a Nature Hike (Master’s Thesis)
- Carrie Jo Bucklin (née Boyce) (Texas State University, Biology Education Faculty)
Investigating How Students Communicate Tree-Thinking (Doctoral Dissertation)
- Jill Maroo (University of Northern Iowa, Faculty)
Nursing Students’ Attitudes toward Science in the Nursing Curricula (Doctoral Dissertation)
Past Undergraduate Honor’s Theses:
- Victoria Reyes
Family Interpretation of Conservation Messaging in an Aquarium (Honor’s Thesis)
- Antonia Mac Crossan
Student Hormonal Responses in Two Learning Environments (Honor’s Thesis)
- Austin Wilkes
The Relationship between Religiosity and Acceptance of Evolutionary Theory among Students in an Introductory Zoology Course (Honor’s Thesis)
- Leah Cuddeback
Lions and Tigers and Teens: Exploring Volunteer Influences at the Saint Louis Zoo (Honor’s Thesis)
- Jeremy Norris
Validity and Reliability Evaluation of an Instrument Measuring Plant Blindness (Honor’s Thesis)
- Ashleigh Davis Moore
A Look into Informal Science Education and Students with Individual Education Plans (Honor’s Thesis)
- Donaven McLaurin
Using Manipulative Models to Develop Tree-Thinking (Honor’s Thesis)
Other Past Members:
- Maggie Pappano, Michelle Nguyen, Dominique Ocampo, Ariana Corral, Ryan Ament, Lyric Pullman, Jackie Baez, Kaitlin Villarreal, Karina Salinas, Katherine Stefanik, Sierra Roman Hicks, Brittney Covington, Gabrielle Payne, Karen Alvarado Rodriguez, Izaak DeLeon, Sandra Bohn, Lauren Pittman, Matthew Planchard, and Megan Pallo
