Bradley Steven Hughes, Ph.D.
Domain Expert, Reviewer
Dr. Hughes has been working with CK-12 since April 2011 as a Reviewer and Domain Expert in both the Mathematics and Physics fields.
He brings his educational experience with three Bachelor’sdegrees (Physics, Mathematics, Philosophy), two Master’s degrees (Physics, Education) and a Ph.D. (Physics), along with time spent working as an educator at many levels (High School, Community College, 4 year University) with him to assist in the development of materials to further the CK-12 mission.
Ellen Lawsky
Domain Expert, Author, Reviewer
Ellen currently lives in Belgium, Brussels where she has been since 2001. Until 2008 she worked at the International School of Brussels as Head of the High School and as a teacher of AP Statistics and IB Math Standard Level. She has also taught high school mathematics at Sandy Spring Friends School and at Sidwell Friends School in Washington, D.C. At the college level, Ellen has taught statistics at California State University Sacramento and at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. She has worked as a mathematical statistician for the Internal Revenue Service. Ellen has a Master’s degree in mathematical statistics from the University of California at Davis and all but a dissertation (ABD) in mathematical statistics from George Washington University in Washington, DC. Ellen has worked for CK-12 since 2008 as a reviewer and author. In addition to this work she teaches a semester course, Statistics for Lawyers, at the University of California at Irvine School of Law and is an IB Examiner for Mathematics Standard Level.
Jen Kershaw
Domain Expert, Author, Reviewer
Jen Kershaw has a B.A. in Theater from The University of South Florida, a Master’s of Science in Education from Wheelock College in Boston, Massachusetts and a Waldorf Teaching Certification from Antioch University. Ms. Kershaw began her teaching in residential programs with emotionally disturbed adolescents. It was there that she fell in love with mathematics and made it her mission to become an innovative, creative math teacher. She received an Excellence in Education Award in 1999 for mathematics and has twelve years of classroom teaching experience, six of which are in the area of middle school mathematics. Ms. Kershaw published herfirst entire curriculum unit titled, “The Great Equation Race” with Interact, Inc. in 2006.In 2009, Ms. Kershaw began working with CK-12 Foundation first as an editor, then as a domain expert. She currently works for CK-12 as a writer, editor, and domain expert.
Kaitlyn Spong
Domain Expert, Author, Reviewer
Kaitlyn Spong has worked on numerous math projects for CK-12 since June of 2008. Kaitlyn earned a B.S. in Mathematics with high honors from Haverford College in 2007 and an M.A. in Teaching Mathematics from Stanford University in 2008. Kaitlyn taught math at the high school level for four years before recently moving to the community college level.
Kaitlyn is passionate about improving mathematics education and helping students to find success and joy in math. In the past year Kaitlyn pursued National Board Certification for Mathematics and mentored student teachers from Stanford University. She has also attended the Park City Mathematics Institute where she collaborated with other math educators from around the country. Kaitlyn is thrilled to be working with CK-12 to offer free, high quality educational content.
Kate Dirga
Domain Expert, Author
Kate Dirga has a BA in Mathematics from West Virginia University and a Master’s in Secondary Mathematics Education from Virginia Tech. She holds National Board Certification and is currently teaching at Robinson Secondary School in Fairfax County, VA. Previously she taught for 13 years at George Mason HS in Falls Church City, VA. She’s currently co-authoring CK-12’s Algebra II with Trigonometry.
Kathy Kehrli
Domain Expert, Author, Reviewer
Kathy Kehrli is a professional writer and editor with an emphasis in math educational content. She possesses extensive experience in creating mathematics activities, exercises and assessments as well as standardized test questions. She also regularly edits and fact checks mathematical material. Her specialty levels are middle grade and high school, with a personal preference for Algebra topics. She possesses a Bachelor’s degree magna cum laude in mathematics with a secondary degree in French. She is currently pursuing an MFA degree in creative nonfiction on a part-time basis. She has been collaborating with CK-12 since March 2011.
Larame Spence
Domain Expert, Author, Reviewer
Author, editor, and video instructor/producer Larame Spence initially became familiar with CK-12 curriculum as a mathematics instructor at Desiderata Schools, and has been a very happy member of the CK-12 Mathematics team since 2010. Larame has over 20 years of experience in mathematics and science (Physics) instruction at the middle school, high school, and college levels, and has served as Director of Programs at Desiderata Schools since 2000.
Larame’s CK-12 projects include over 600 instructional videos in mathematics, and the authoring and/or editing of: Math 6, Math 7, and Math Analysis Concepts Collections.
Lori Jordan
Domain Expert, Author, Reviewer
Lori is an author, reviewer, and domain expert. She graduated from UCLA in 2001 with a BS in Mathematics and in 2002 earned her Master’s in Education and teaching credential. Also in 2002, she began teaching mathematics at the high school level. She has taught in Los Angeles, Washington DC, and Santa Barbara and has taught Algebra I, Geometry, Honors Geometry, Algebra II, Honors Algebra II with Trigonometry, Statistics and Pre-Calculus. In 2007, she left teaching to become a stay-at-home mom. In 2008, Lori realized that she missed teaching, primarily curriculum development, and joined the CK-12 staff. Since then, she has edited the Trigonometry, Statistics, and Geometry texts and authored the Teacher Edition of Geometry. She is currently working on the first edition of the Algebra II with Trigonometry text.
Nate Seely
Domain Expert, Author, Reviewer
Nate Seely is an experienced middle and high school mathematics (pre-algebra to calculus and statistics) and science (physics, chemistry) tutor in Menlo Park CA, who is knowledgeable about district curricula as well as CA and Common Core standards. Nate has over 30 years of technical, mathematics/physics intensive experience in the research, development and deployment of advanced satellite communications systems. Nate joined the CK-12 team in August 2012 at the urging of his daughter, a summer college intern, and is very excited to be part of CK-12’s mission to provide web-based, Open Source, standards-correlated, flexible educational materials to students and teachers.
Nate holds a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from MIT, and Master’s and Ph.D. degrees in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University.
Barbara Akre
Family camping, a Bio major at Carleton College, nuclear medicine research in Houston, and an M.A. in Biology from Rice University introduced me to the world of life. Twenty years of teaching biology and anatomy/physiology, international travel, and curriculum work with raptors, Lake Superior, whales, prairies, medicine, neuroscience, and marine aquariums confirmed my passion for all things biological. Newly retired from teaching, I appreciate this opportunity to work in CK-12’s innovative arena of biology education.
Subjects: Photosynthesis, Cellular Respiration, History of Life, Evolutionary Theory, Evolution in Populations, Populations, Ecology and Human Actions, Structure and Function in Plants, Reproduction of Plants, Plant Adaptations and Responses, Evolution and Classification of Plants
Raja Almukahhal
My educational background includes a PhD in physics and a Master of Science in physics and mathematics. I have been teaching physics, mathematics and astronomy for over 20 years at several colleges and private schools in different states. I currently live with my wife and boy (3.5 years) in Alexandria, VA.
Subjects: An Introduction to Probability, Discrete Probability Distribution, Preview of Calculus, Derivatives, Applications of Definite Integrals, Transcendental Functions, Integration Techniques
Dale Baker
Dale Baker started her academic career studying anthropology and archaeology, but later took up work as a substitute teacher while pondering her future. This was a fortuitous decision because she discovered that when students were presented with engaging science activities, they were motivated to learn. She earned an EdD in science education from Rutgers University. Dale is a full professor at Arizona State University, where she teaches courses on research design, equity and assessment issues in science education, and courses that help teachers infuse engineering concepts into their curriculum.
Subjects: Nature of Engineering, Engineering & Society, Introduction to Engineering Design, Connecting Science and Mathematics to Engineering
Stacy Baker
Stacy Baker is a biology teacher in the Northeast. She is a pioneer in the use of online mediums such as blogging for science education. She has won awards for both her classroom teaching and online outreach. Her work has been presented at the Sigma Xi Research Center, the New York Academy of Sciences, and numerous science education conferences. She received her B.S. in Zoology at Washington State University.
John Belcher
John Belcher holds a BS in Applied Mathematics from Brown University, an EdM from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and an MA in Mathematics from Boston University. He is a co-developer of the Algebra Project’s African Drums and Ratios Curriculum and served as a co-coordinator of the program for approximately 6 years. John has taught elementary and secondary school mathematics and has worked as a coach/staff developer for middle and high school mathematics teachers. In addition to his background in mathematics and mathematics education, John has worked for over 30 years as a drummer/composer in a diverse range of performance, therapeutic, and cultural settings. One of John’s areas of specialty is investigating relationships between music and mathematics. His recording, The Sound According to John, on the Innova label, includes compositions based upon mathematics structures. John is a member and co-founder of the Dougouto Nganya Percussion Ensemble, a group comprised of drummers from Ghana, Mali, Senegal, and the United States. In 2004, John co-founded CrossPulse Consultants, an organization which aims to produce “fierce” (fearless and powerful) African American mathematics, science, and technology learners and to increase the numbers of individuals from undeserved populations who will go on to pursue higher education in mathematics, science, engineering and/or technology. Presently, John is a professional development specialist and program leader in the Adult Numeracy Projects program at TERC, based in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Subjects: Pulse, Playing Groups of Pulse Beats, Experimenting with Pulse Beat Groups, More Experiments with Pulse Beat Groups, Experimenting with New Pulse Beat Groups, Finding Meeting Numbers and Finding Least Common Multiples, Pulse Beat Groups and Factors, More Pulse Beat Groups and Factors, Greatest Common Factors, Connections Between Greatest Common Factors and Least Common Multiples, Making Comparisons by Subtraction and Ratio, Meeting Number Comparisons, Graphing Subtraction and Ratio Comparisons, Describing the Meeting Number Activity, Making Symbols, Making Mathematics Symbols
John Benner
John A. Benner has an M.A. in chemistry from The University of Texas at Austin. He has worked as an analytical chemist, a science editor and content consultant, and a freelance writer. His past projects include chemistry, physics, and physical science textbooks for Holt, Rinehart and Winston and several titles in the True Books series for Children’s Press. John’s work for CK-12 is his first contribution to open-access publishing. He currently works as a computer programmer in Austin, Texas.
Subjects: Earth’s Energy
David Bethel
David Bethel has been a lifelong student of science, mathematics, and philosophy. He completed the “Great Books” program at St. John’s College in Santa Fe, NM, in 1995. He has also studied physics, astronomy, biology, math, and the history and philosophy of science at Brown University and the University of Texas at Austin.
Subjects: The Solar System, Stars, Galaxies, and the Universe, Observing and Exploring Space
Sharon Bewick
Dr. Bewick received her B.Sc. in Chemistry from Mount Allison University. She then went on to complete a Ph.D. at Princeton University where she studied the electronic properties of organic crystals. Currently, Dr. Bewick is at the University of Tennessee where she hopes to use game theoretical models to learn more about how immune systems fight off viruses and bacteria.
Subjects: The Science of Chemistry, The Atomic Theory, The Bohr Model of the Atom, Quantum Mechanics Model of the Atom, Electron Configurations for Atoms, Electron Configurations and the Periodic Table
Jennifer Blanchette
Jennifer Blanchette is a science writer and researcher. Her research is focused on the role of fatty acids in the development of the model organism, C. elegans. She earned her B.A. in biology from Oberlin College in 1994 and received a doctorate in biological chemistry from the University of Michigan in 2004.
Subjects: Introduction to Animals and Invertebrates, Simple Invertebrates: Sponges, Cnidarians, and Worms, Mollusks and Annelids, Arthropods, Echinoderms and Invertebrate Chordates, Fishes and Amphibians
Jean Brainard
Dr. Jean M. Brainard is a freelance health and science writer and curriculum specialist living in central Ohio. She received a master’s degree from the Harvard School of Public Health and a doctorate in biomedical anthropology from the State University of New York at Binghamton. A former university professor, Dr. Brainard has written hundreds of textbook chapters and encyclopedia articles on a diversity of subjects, as well as numerous professional publications based on her own research.
Subjects: Classification, Principles of Ecology, Biomes, Ecosystems, and Communities, Mammals, Animal Behavior, Digestive and Excretory Systems, Immune System and Disease, Reproductive System and Human Development, Chemical Basis of Life, Behavior of Animals, Food and the Digestive System, Controlling the Body, Diseases and the Body’s Defenses, Reproductive Systems and Life Stages
Sarah Brockett
Sarah Brockett has worked in educational publishing for seven years. After receiving her BA in English Literature from the University of Pennsylvania, she began her editorial career at Pearson Education. She left to pursue work as a freelance writer and editor, and has since participated in projects for all ages and in all disciplines. These include revising the curriculum for Philadelphia public schools, writing AP test guides, contributing encyclopedia entries, and producing various state-oriented math books. She recently earned her Master’s Degree in U.S. History from American University in Washington, DC.
Subjects: Geometric Figures, Statistics and Measurement, Geometry and Measurement, Geometry, Distance and Area, Surface Area and Volume, Integers, Geometry and Transformations, Measurement, Area, and Volume
Matt Brunetti
I originally studied physical therapy at Quinnipiac University, but discovered that education was a more apposite career. In 2001, I received a BS in Health and Science Studies, with minors in mathematics and biology; and in 2004 I completed an MA in Mathematics for Teachers at Western New England College. I have taught high school and middle school mathematics for seven years in Massachusetts and Colorado. And most recently, I have worked as an Educational Specialist for an education technology company. I am passionate about mathematics and science education, and I believe that instruction in these areas should foster creative thinking, problem solving, innovation, and ingenuity.
Boris Korsunsky
Domain Expert, Author
Boris Korsunsky is a physics teacher at Weston High School in Massachusetts. Boris holds two master’s degrees from his native Russia and a doctorate from Harvard School of Education. He is a former coach of the US Physics Team, a widely published author, educational consultant and a winner of 2011 Amgen Award for Science Teaching Excellence. His main hobbies are badminton and writing. Boris’s most recent book is “Trophy Wives Don’t Need Advanced Physics.”
David Armstrong, Ph.D.
Domain Expert
David S. Armstrong is a Professor of Physics at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. He received his education in Canada, with degrees in physics from McGill University (B.Sc), Queen’s University (M.Sc.) and the University of British Columbia (Ph.D.). He did post-doctoral research with Virginia Tech, working at the TRIUMF laboratory in Vancouver, and with the University of California (Berkeley), working at CERN in Geneva, before coming to William & Mary. His field of research is experimental nuclear and particle physics; he has conducted research using beams of protons, muons, pions, antiprotons, photons and electrons. Recently, most of his research has been conducted at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility, in Newport News, Virginia. He has had the privilege of teaching physics at the undergraduate and graduate level at William & Mary, and mentoring undergraduate and graduate students in nuclear physics research projects. He enjoys reading, sailing, and playing jazz guitar.
Subject: 21st Century Physics Flexbook: A Compilation of Contemporary and Emerging Technologies
Jim Batterson
Domain Expert
Jim Batterson taught high school physics and mathematics, worked as a scientific programmer for LTV Corporation, and from 1980 until his retirement in 2008, was a research engineer at NASA Langley Research Center. At NASA he was responsible for flight research on the dynamics and control of aerospace vehicles, served as Head of the Dynamics and Control Branch, and later as Deputy Director for Strategic Development. He has also served on a number of community boards including the Newport News (Virginia) School Board and New Horizons Regional Education Center Board. While at NASA, he served on assignments to the Office of Science and Technology Policy, the National Nanotechnology Coordination Office, NASA Headquarters, and most recently, to the Office of Virginia”s Secretary of Education.
Subject: 21st Century Physics Flexbook: A Compilation of Contemporary and Emerging Technologies
Maria Catalina
Domain Expert
Maria Catalina teaches mathematics and science at Mar Vista Middle School in the Sweetwater Union High School District. She began researching curriculum in 1995. As the worlds first Teacher to Space Ambassador she turns “Eyes to the Skies” and brings Space down to Earth. Space travel and the universe drive her standards based curriculum as she introduces her students to their technological futures. Miss Catalina knows that our students are the first space faring generation.
George Collison, Ph.D.
Domain Expert
Dr. George Collison is a nationally known science and mathematics educator. He is one of the founders of the Virtual High School(tm) and lead author of the Seeing Math(tm) video case studies distributed by PBS Teacherline. He has authored courses in algebra, calculus, and physics. George was invited by USAID on several occasions to help science and mathematics planning and write curricula in Africa. His passion lies in crafting clear, highly engaging presentations that build careful bridges from concrete experiences to abstract concepts.
Subjects: Trigonometry
James Dann, Ph.D.
Domain Expert
James H. Dann was born and raised in San Francisco. He attended Lowell High school and went on to UC Santa Barbara where he received a B.S. in physics. James then went to grad school at UC Santa Cruz where he joined Alan Litke’s research group at CERN, the largest particle physics lab in the world. James worked at CERN, in Switzerland, for 4 years where his research earned him a Ph.D. in particle physics. James then moved back to San Francisco and lived with his oldest son Aaron, while teaching high school in the city. After seven wonderful years teaching high school, James went on to work as a Senior Engineer for GMW in Silicon Valley. James has since returned to his true passion of teaching high school at Menlo School and lives with his wife, Nisha, and second son Ashaan in the Bay Area.
Subjects: People’s Physics Book
Nick Fiori
Domain Expert
Subjects: Probability and Statistics
Trigonometry
Calculus
Judy Larson, MA
Domain Expert
I was born in Tucson with all its desert beauty and heat! I was delighted to move to Santa Barbara where I attended Westmont College [BA in Chemistry]. I Moved to Taipei, Taiwan for a year; taught in the American HS. Later, my family and I lived in Hong Kong for six years. I Returned to the US; entered Stanford University; [MA in Science Education]. For the past 32 years, I have taught chemistry in private and public high schools in California.
Subjects: Chemistry
Darryl Morrell, Ph.D.
Domain Expert
Darryl Morrell received his B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees in Electrical Engineering in 1984, 1986, and 1988 from Brigham Young University. He is currently an associate professor of engineering at Arizona State University, where he is participating in the design and implementation of a multi-disciplinary undergraduate engineering program using innovative, research-based pedagogical and curricular approaches. He has been actively involved in the development of open educational resources and has authored modules with the Connexions project (an open source curriculum authoring system). His technical research interests include stochastic decision theory applied to sensor scheduling and information fusion, and, more recently, application of research based pedagogy to engineering education.
Subjects: Engineering: An Introduction for High School; Engineering Problem Solving with Matlab
Richard Parsons, MA
Domain Expert
Richard Parsons graduated from San Jose State University in 1967 with a BA in Physical Science with a Chemistry Option and received his MA in 1968 with the same major. He taught high school honors Chemistry, Physics, and Advanced Placement Chemistry for 35 years and was the Science Department chairman for 25 years in the Santa Clara Unified School District. Mr. Parsons retired in 2000, but continued to teach Advanced Placement Chemistry part-time for another 5 years. In the early 80s, he co-authored an in-district course (text, lab book, teacher’s guide) in Integrated Science. The course was taught in all district high schools for 15 years. Mr. Parsons became an author for CK-12 in June 2008 and now serves as CK-12’s Chemistry domain expert.
Subjects: Chemistry
Geoff Ruth
Domain Expert
Geoff Ruth teaches chemistry, AP Chemistry, geology, and environmental science at the Urban School of San Francisco. Before coming to Urban, he taught science at Leadership High School for five years, and wrote chemistry curriculum at Lawrence Hall of Science. Geoff earned a geology degree from Carleton College, and tries to integrate many different science and math topics into his classes. When not teaching, he enjoys bicycling, rock climbing, woodworking, and exploring the Sierra.
Subjects: Earth Science
Julie Sandeen, MS
Domain Expert
Julie Sandeen is CK-12’s Domain Expert for Earth Science and author of several chapters within the Flexbook. She is currently a high school teacher at Woodstock Academy in Connecticut and Adjunct Faculty at Eastern Connecticut State University. She is passionate about Earth Science and loves sharing that joy with her students. She received her Master’s degree in Geology from the University of Connecticut and did her undergraduate work at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts.
Subject: Earth Science
Sandy Wagner, Ph.D.
Domain Expert
For over 20 years Dr. Wagner taught mathematics, science, computer science, and teacher education from 7th grade through college. His other careers have included software manager, mathematics textbook author, and designer of online classes. Recently he was delighted to return to mathematics, his first true love, and to helping teachers explore ways to improve teaching and learning with technology.
Subject: GeometryProbability and Statistics (Advanced Placement)
Math Analysis
Calculus
Douglas Wilkin, Ph.D.
Domain Expert
Douglas Wilkin, Ph.D. is currently the Chair, Department of Science at Arleta High School in the Los Angeles Unified School District. Prior to teaching high school, Dr. Wilkin held a number of faculty positions at leading research institutions throughout the United States, including the National Human Genome Research Institute of the National Institutes of Health, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, and the Federal Bureau of Investigations in Quantico, Virginia. He is extensively published
Subject: Biology
Life Science
Bill Zahner
Domain Expert
Subject: Algebra 1
Geometry
Math Analysis
Donald F. Calbreath, Ph.D
Domain Expert, Author
Donald F. Calbreath, Ph.Din biochemistry from Ohio State University – 1968
background in clinical laboratory medicine – directed hospital clinical chemistry lab from 1970-1983
chemistry professor at Whitworth University – 1984-2006 (retired in 2006)
wrote homeschool science materials 2006-2012
taught homeschoolers on-line 2010-2012
Haven Giguere
Domain Expert, Author
Haven Giguere lives with her husband and dog in Connecticut. She has a Fine Arts degree from the university of New Hampshire and has worked as a free-lance illustrator for a number of years.
Heidi ZumbrunBjerke
Domain Expert, Author
Heidi ZumbrunBjerke achieved her B.S. Biology for Secondary Ed from Dakota State University and her M.S. Space Studies from University of North Dakota. Additionally, she has 12 years of teaching experience in high school science and social science. Currently, she is an Instructional Technology Coach and helps teachers in her district to integrate technology into the curriculum.
Ira Nirenberg
Domain Expert, Author
Ira worked six years as an exploration geophysicist for a major oil company before changing careers.He spent the next 25 years teaching physics and math to gifted high school students and college students while conducting hundreds of workshops for middle and high school teachers. Ira has written three books:Intermediate Physics,The Fraction ThinkBook , and Living with Math.
Jean M. Brainard, Ph.D.
Domain Expert, Author
Dr. Jean M. Brainard is a freelance health and science writer/editor and curriculum specialist. She received a master of science degree from the Harvard School of Public Health and master’s and doctoral degrees in anthropology from Binghamton University (SUNY). A former university professor, Dr. Brainard has written or edited hundreds of textbook chapters, other pedagogical materials, and encyclopedia articles on a diversity of subjects, as well as numerous professional publications based on her own research.
Kevin Pyatt
Domain Expert, Author
Kevin Pyatt currently serves as an Associate Professor at Regis University in Denver CO. His areas of expertise are STEM education, teacher preparation and instructional technology. Prior to Regis, he was an Assistant Professor of Science & Technology at Eastern Washington University (2007-2012). He taught high school chemistry teacher in Colorado (1997-2007). He also served as an adjunct instructor at University of California Santa Cruz in online STEM teacher preparation. He holds CO and CA Professional Teaching Licenses in Chemistry and Biology. He also holds the following degrees: B.S. in biology; M.S. Computer Information Systems/Software Engineering; Ph.D. Instructional Design for Online Learning.
Luther Richardson:
Domain Expert, Author
Luther Richardson: Physics teacher and curriculum specialist Luther Richardson has made a career out of simultaneous endeavors that support a personal quest for knowledge. He has been teaching AP Physics since 1996 with college teaching assignments in Physics and Astronomy.
Degrees in Physics from Auburn University and Systems Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology have supported his love of applications in planetary science and robotics. Luther has worked on multiple planetary mission concept studies for NASA, and has started his own company that works with robotics called AstroSystems.
Teaching has led to a form of paying it forward with co-curricular student efforts that build 150 pound robots and launch science payloads aboard high altitude balloons. All of these simultaneous efforts could not happen without the love and support of his wife Laura and daughter HallieMeissa.
Mariana Ruiz Villarreal
Domain Expert, Author
Mariana Ruiz Villarreal is a Mexican graphic designer specializing in illustration, Lives in Hamburg Germany and works online as a freelancer under the pseudonym of LadyofHats.
Recognised as a featured illustrator on the wikimedia commons website.LadyofHats portfolio focuses on scientific and educational subjects.
Patti Howell
Domain Expert, Author
Patti Howell has been teaching high school chemistry for twelve years and college environmental science for one year. She earned her Ed.D. in Instructional Leadership from Argosy University in Sarasota, Florida; an M.Ed. in Secondary Education Biology from Columbus State University in Columbus, GA; and a B.S. in Chemistry from Armstrong State College in Savannah, GA.
Samantha Bacic
Domain Expert, Author
Hello! I am Samantha Bacic, and I am currently a Visual Communications Designer at Slalom Consulting where I work on projects including proposals, marketing handouts/flyers, posters, name tags—you name it! I have done many cool projects which include designing a logo for Jerry Rice’s jewelry line and creating marketing collateral for Picaboo (I also used to be a Personal Stylist at J.Crew)! I was just elected to the board of the Menlo Park-Atherton Education Foundation (MPAEF) as the district Graphic Designer, and I also ran the Laurel School Bake Sale this year (which made a $6k profit). When not at work, you will find me with my handsome better-half and two kids riding bikes to Palo Alto’s Johnson Park and sliding down the cement slide!
Terry Barchfeld
Domain Expert, Author
Terry Barchfeld has been a high school physics teacher since graduating Westminster College with a physics degree college in 1991. His summers are typically spent working. Summer lab work locations have included Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, CERN’s Large Hadron Collider, and the University of Notre Dame just to name a few. He lives in Orlando with wife Esther and teaches at Timber Creek High School.
Wade Baxter
Domain Expert, Author
Wade Baxter teaches AP chemistry, AP environmental science, and physics at Lewis-Palmer High School in Monument, Colorado. He received a BA in chemistry from Carleton College, and both an MS and PhD in chemistry from Northwestern University. He has also taught high school in upstate New York and near San Diego, California. When not teaching, writing, or coaching volleyball, Wade enjoys running, playing basketball, and trying to climb all of Colorado’s 14,000-foot mountains.
AshwinMalynur
Summer Intern
University of Southern California ( Junior)
I loved being able to help create content that will be viewed by people all around the world
Emily Hayflick.
Summer Intern
Barnard College. Junior.
My favorite part of interning at CK-12 is the opportunity to work on a wide variety of content related projects. I really appreciate the ability to learn about many aspects of creating the flexbooks, as well as feeling that my work is important to the final project. One of my favorite projects this summer was the understanding biodiversity concept collection, since I enjoyed learning about all the animals and plants that were discussed in the concepts.
Jonathan Wong
Summer Intern
University of California, San Diego
I enjoyed helping the CK-12 team create online teaching modalities, which are available to a wide range of students.
Katherine Shield
Summer Intern
Tufts University.Junior.
There were lots of great things about working at CK-12, but the best part of being an intern at CK-12 was having something at the end of the summer to feel accomplished about. I was able to significantly contribute to a project that could then be provided to educators and used by students.
Kevin Tang
Summer Intern
Deerfield Academy/Princeton University, Sophomore
I really enjoyed working at CK-12 because it gave me an opportunity to actively help kids my age. I love how all of us are working together towards bringing quality education to people everywhere. Even though I was working, I was also actively learning new stuff as well. As a biology fan, it was really fun to have a job that involved researching biology related topics, especially certain topics that are currently being researched. I think CK-12 is a great organization that is trying to incorporate new modes of learning into the classroom, and I am all for it.
Nicky Lai
Summer Intern
Santa Teresa High School (class of 2013)
San Jose State University (class of 2017)
First year
Having the opportunity to work as a summer intern for CK 12 was such a memorable experience. I created stop motion physics concept videos featuring Sophie (dalmatian) and Marco(boy), two animated characters I invented to help make learning physics more fun. I enjoyed letting my imagination run free in devising ways to portray physics concepts in a fun and easy to understand manner. I also gained new knowledge on concepts that I was not familiar with before through making the concept videos. The staff at CK 12 were so welcoming and compassionate. It was truly a pleasure working as a summer intern for CK 12
Polly Cho
Summer Intern
Gunn High School/USC (Senior)
I enjoy working for CK-12 because I love helping create a fantastic, open educational resource for anyone to use. I hope that by having access to these resources, students will be inspired to pursue their passions.
Sophia Steffens
Summer Intern
UCSB College of Creative Studies 2nd Year
Because I am interested in becoming a science teacher, one of the aspects of being a ck-12 intern that I enjoyed most was learning how to best communicate difficult science concepts to students through a variety of interesting modalities.
Shira Yomtoubian
Summer Intern
M.S. degree in Pharmacology at the University of Minnesota.
As a Science Content Intern, I have enjoyed collaborating with the motivated members of the CK-12 community, who work with a persistent passion and commitment to CK-12’s mission.
