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The Center for Science Education at the UC Berkeley Space Sciences Laboratory is responsible for the Education and Public Outreach Program for WISE.
Bryan Méndez – E/PO Lead
Dr. Méndez received a Ph.D. in Astrophysics from UC Berkeley in 2002 and is currently an E/PO Specialist for CSE@SSL. He collaborates with schools of education, science departments, NASA missions, school districts, science centers, museums, and planetaria. Dr. Méndez has developed high quality, customer focused E/PO products and services, facilitated scientist involvement in E/PO, and participated in events communicating science to the public for several NASA missions and projects: including RHESSI, STEREO-IMPACT, CHIPS, WISE, and ROSES projects such as Stardust@home, the Automated Planet Finder, and Nature’s Biggest Blasts.
He has strong interest and experience in teacher professional development and has conducted many workshops and short courses for teachers at CSE@SSL and at conferences such as NSTA, CSTA, & SACNAS. Dr. Méndez also has extensive previous experience in education and public outreach activities including the following: Instructor for UC Berkeley’s Astronomy Department, teaching classes in introductory astronomy for undergraduates and leading education seminars for new graduate student instructors; Instructor of students in grades 9-12 for UC Berkeley’s Academic Talent Development Program, and a grades 4-6 classroom volunteer in ASP’s project ASTRO since 1998 through the present.
As the WISE Deputy E/PO Lead, Dr. Méndez will manage, oversee, and participate in all aspects of the WISE E/PO program. He will also take leading roles in the teacher professional development, curriculum development, Asteroids@home, and all Public Outreach program elements for WISE E/PO.
Karin Hauck – Senior Artist/Editor
Karin Hauck has a background in communications, film/video and desktop publishing. She worked as a communications coordinator for the American Association of Variable Star Observers, and as a desktop publisher and writer/editor at the Environmental Protection Agency. As a SECEF writer/editor, she supports SECEF staff and the SEC EPO community in communicating our achievements and activities with scientists, educators and other stakeholders. She initiated and maintains a monthly newsletter for the SEC EPO community, called The Sun-Earth CONNECTION, and runs a web-based educational program called Solar Week. Karin graduated with high honors from the University of Massachusetts, where she majored in English.
Igor Ruderman – Programmer Analyst
Igor hails from Moscow, Russia. After getting the astronomy bug as a kid, he’s been an avid amateur astronomer since. Before his arrival in the US he’s been on multiple astronomy related trips as part of a club, including one to see a total solar eclipse. While studying astronomy at UC Berkeley, he started working as a programmer for the Center for Science Education at Space Sciences Laboratory. He’s been a member of the team since 1996. In addition to handling all of the computing needs of the group, he enjoys participating in public outreach events. You will usually find him with one of his telescopes at such events. He is also an amateur astrophotographer.
Renee Frappier – Program Representative
Renee is the Program Manager for the Center of Science Education at the UC Berkeley Space Sciences Laboratory. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Anthropology from UC Berkeley and earned her Master's degree in Public Administration. As a strong proponent of science education, Renee is delighted to be part of a team that provides education and public outreach to many communities and strives to make specialized space science knowledge accessible to everyone.
Darlene Yan - Outreach Coordinator
An avid Legos player as a tomboy, Darlene unwittingly enjoyed the wonders of science as she took apart her mother’s phones and built strange contraptions that lofted G.I.Joes high up in the air. Despite this early affinity for physics, she graduated from the University of California, Berkeley in 2001 with a Bachelor of Arts in Rhetoric and a minor in English. Yet Fate was kind enough to return Darlene to her youthful awe of figuring out how things work, and opening her mind and lifelong learning to the fields of astronomy, space weather, and solar physics. Now she works in the SEGWay team, helping to pass space science education to K-12 teachers,
their students, and the general public, with much of the same enthusiasm inspired by her childhood toys.
Dan Zevin - Education Specialist/Project Manager
Dan has been working in E/PO for over 20 years. He currently manages multiple education and outreach projects at the Space Sciences Laboratory that require him to handle and/or oversee a wide-variety of tasks, including budget and timeline administration, partner communications, and content development. Prior to this, he was as a Senior Project Manager at the Exploratorium for the NISE Network. Dan also worked for five years at the Astronomical Society of the Pacific where he managed
several multi-year NSF projects, including professional development efforts to support science educators and the outreach activities of amateur astronomers. Dan’s other career stints focused more on environmental education and wildlife conservation, including Program Director at the Headlands Institute, Project Manager/Associate Zoologist with The Nature Conservancy of Hawaii, and Research Assistant at the Los Angeles Zoo. He received his BS degree in Wildlife Management from Humboldt State University. In other words, don't ask him any difficult astrophysics questions!
Zilu Weng, Saneel Khatri, Leitha Thrall - Webmasters
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