People

Stephanie Gardner

Principal Investigator

Postdoctoral Fellow, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
Ph.D., Physiology, University of Wisconsin-Madison
M.S., Physiology, University of Wisconsin-Madison
B.A., Biology, Grinnell College, Grinnell, IA

Email: sgardne@purdue.edu

Link to the faculty page

Soumi Mukherjee

Ph.D. Graduate Student
Email: mukher42@purdue.edu

M.Sc., Biochemistry, University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad, India
B.Sc., Life Sciences, Presidency University, Kolkata, India

I come from Kolkata, which is also known as the 'City of Joy' in India. Much like my city, I am a very energetic person, who loves to meet new people and spend hours in conversations over a cup of chai. I am a full-time graduate student trying to learn about the intricacies of interdisciplinary interactions and understand the buzzword 'interdisciplinarity' in the context of research and education. Also, I am a part-time doodler, singer, dancer, and an expert in cooking and eating good food.

Emily Hutton

Ph.D. Graduate Student
Email: hutton12@purdue.edu

B.S., Biology, Ithaca College, Ithaca, NY

I am originally from eastern Pennsylvania, and my family is now living in northern Mississippi where my sister is completing her undergraduate degree in architecture. I love learning about and teaching biology, especially helping undergraduate students get excited about biology as well! I am excited to start research in Stephanie’s lab studying students’ understanding of how to best represent biological data clearly in graphs and charts. In my free time, I love watching horror movies, doing jigsaw puzzles, and spending lots of time with my best buddy Franklin!

Emily Georgopoulos

Ph.D. Graduate Student

Email: egeorgop@purdue.edu

B.S., Biology, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH

I am originally from Cincinnati, OH, which is about three hours away from Purdue and home to local favorites Skyline chili and Graeter's ice cream. I graduated with a B.S. from the University of Dayton, where I strengthened my passion for microbiology and conducted research on Listeria monocytogenes as well as antibiotic resistance. As a grad student in the Gardner lab, I will work to understand how graduate students in Biology Integration Institutes (BIIs) develop interdisciplinary STEM identities while traversing various academic and personal contexts in their lives. I am also passionate about bridging the gap between the "ivory tower" of science and the public to make knowledge accessible and relevant for those who may not have access to it or those who feel intimidated by science and scientific institutions. My hobbies include stress baking, singing in and out of the shower, indulging increasingly rare bouts of creative energy, admiring the moon, and attacking my cat Spaz with my love.

Traven Cargill

Ph.D. Graduate Student

Email: tcargill@purdue.edu

M.N.S.E.(Master of Natural Sciences Education) – Colorado State University
B.Sc. Biology with minor in Chemistry – University of The Bahamas

I am from the beautiful archipelago, The Bahamas – specifically Nassau. Previously, I taught for five years across 6th – 12th grade, but my favourite classes to teach were AP and IB Biology and AP Psychology. In my spare time, I like spending time with family and friends, playing board games, baking, swimming and playing volleyball. From a research perspective, I have immense interest in both Science Education and bench science. As such, I am happily co-advised in Cell & Molecular Biology. In the Gardner Research Group, I’m interested to explore aspects of visualization in STEM education and exploring scientific identity.

Michele Holcombe

Masters Graduate Student

Email: mholcom@purdue.edu

B.S., Biology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN

I am originally from Goshen, IN, which is about two and a half hours north of Purdue. As an undergraduate student, I had the opportunity to be an undergraduate teaching intern and I discovered my love for teaching laboratory-based classes. After graduating I started my current position, as an assistant lab coordinator for Anatomy and Physiology at Purdue. Through my experiences in this position, I gained a drive to learn more about biology education. As a graduate student in Stephanie’s lab, I am pursuing an exploratory study analyzing summative assessment performance and student demographic factors to determine, if any, impact success in an undergraduate anatomy and physiology course. In my free time I enjoy playing video games, watching movies (normally horror), and listening to music.

Krystal de Dios

Ph.D. Graduate Student

Email: rdedios@purdue.edu

B.S., Biochemistry, Regis University, Denver, CO

I grew up in the Denver metro area where you can see the Rocky Mountains in the distance. Technically, I’m a graduate student in the chemistry department, but the Gardner lab has kindly adopted me, and I have enjoyed learning about discipline-based education research from them all. My research currently focuses on understanding student problem solving in interdisciplinary classrooms that integrate biology and chemistry. When I’m not doing research, you can find me playing games, roller blading, or doing something artsy.

Allison Peterson

Undergraduate Researcher

Email: peter704@purdue.edu

Biology and Science Education dual major at Purdue University

Allison is a senior this year! She loves to write, draw, and run. When she's not working on studying for the LSAT and her coursework, she loves to drink lots of boba.

Natalie Marraccini

Undergraduate Researcher

Email: nmarracc@purdue.edu

Kinesiology Major on Pre-Medicine Track w/ HDFS Minor at Purdue University

I am from Cincinnati, OH and am a senior this year at Purdue. I have been an undergraduate TI for the anatomy and physiology course for the past 5 semesters, so working under Michele on her exploratory study has been really interesting! It has been a great way to work with the content in a different way and to consider how the students learn information. When I am not working on school related things, I love reading, coloring, hanging out with friends, and the color pink!

Ciara Worthey

Undergraduate Researcher

Email: cworthey@purdue.edu

Kinesiology Major on Pre-Physician Assistant track at Purdue University

I am a Kinesiology major on the Pre-Physician Assistant track. I am from Scotch Plains, NJ and a senior here at Purdue. As a previous student in Anatomy and Physiology, and a current Teaching Intern for the course, it was been a wonderful experience learning more about the course from a research perspective. When I am not doing research or focusing on school, I fundraise for the American Cancer Society, read, and make baked goods!

Kyndall Osborne

Undergraduate Researcher

Email: osbor111@purdue.edu

Genetics major w/ Psychology minor at Purdue University

Hi!! I am a current sophomore studying genetics with a minor in psychology and my dream job is to be a dermatologist. I am from Carmel, Indiana and back home are my mom, dad, younger brother, and my 12-year-old black lab. In my free time I love running and being outside with my friends and family. And one of my biggest passions is being able to travel the world, and one day I hope to make it to every continent!

Matt Dunlap

Undergraduate Researcher

Email: dunlap27@purdue.edu

Studying Neurobiology and Physiology at Purdue University

I am from Carmel, Indiana, which is only about an hour away. I’ve always been interested in biology and chemistry, and I am on a Pre-Med track. I enjoy working under Traven to gain experience in communicative research. My hobbies include watching track and field, Formula 1, listening to music, and doing autocross.

Piper Feese

Undergraduate Researcher

Email: pfeese@purdue.edu

Studying PharmD w/ Psychology Minor at Purdue University

I am from Washington state and a first-year student in the PharmD program within the Purdue University College of Pharmacy, and am also pursuing a psychology minor. I am a Teaching Intern for the Anatomy & Physiology course at Purdue. It has been a great way to connect with students and discover how they learn information. In my free time, I love to go hiking, pet dogs, and volunteer at a STEM museum in Lafayette teaching kids about science.

Alumni

Nouran Amin

Ph.D. Graduate Student Alumnus

Jill Cornell

MS Master Student Alumnus

Lauren Stoczynski

Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Kal Holder