Meet the Faculty

Dr. Wardell Powell is an Assistant Professor of Education at Framingham State University.  His scholarly interest centers on effective science instruction for students with and without specific learning disabilities and the development of accessible science curriculum for such students.  Specifically, he is interested in the use of socioscientific issues as a critical pedagogical strategy to enhance scientific literacy among marginalized students. 

Larry McKenna has been teaching-at graduate, undergraduate, secondary and middle school levels-since 1987. His primary teaching practice is best described as “immersive.” He and his students use real data and real mathematics to understand both the content and significance of science to our society. McKenna teaches undergraduate classes on geology, physics, solar system astronomy, climate and statistics. He also teaches the capstone class in the M. Ed. STEM specialization, STEM 962 A World Connected: Interdependence and Systems in Science. His research interests center around numerical modeling of complex systems, currently focused on population dynamics of alligators and characterizing rates and causes of ecological change in salt marsh and near shore environments.

Instructor for STEM929 Number, Operations, and Representation and STEM959 Examining the World through Data and Shape
 
Robert is the current Chair of the Mathematics Department as well as coordinator of the STEM Program at FSU. He has been teaching mathematics since 1997 to diverse student groups including future NFL players, pre- and in-service teachers, and future medical medical professionals at the secondary, undergraduate, and graduate levels. With support from a Technology Enhancement Competitive Grant 170-B through the commonwealth, he developed and implemented a graduate level professional development course (Closing the Proficiency Gap in Mathematics through Enhanced Technology) in partnership with South Middlesex and Assabet Valley Vocational School Districts. In addition to teaching mathematics with technology, his research interests include teaching Bayesian methods in introductory statistics courses and explaining/predicting cooperation using mathematical game theory (e.g., the Prisoners Dilemma).

Jessica Findlay has taught mathematics at Douglas Middle School since 2006, teaching both 5th and 6th grade. She is the pre-K-12 Mathematics Curriculum Team Chair, leading colleagues as they share best practices and plan integrated, engaging learning experiences. Jessica’s love of teaching goes beyond mathematics. She serves as a FIRST Lego League Robotics Coach, guiding students as they build, design, and program robots to compete in tournaments.

In 2010, Jessica was selected as 1 of 16 teachers nationwide for a 2-week internship at NASA’s Langley Research Facility in Hampton, VA. In 2011, she was honored by the Raytheon Corporation’s MathMovesU program as a Massachusetts Math Hero.

Jessica is dedicated to the incorporation of technology to promote science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education. She currently partners with Worcester Polytechnic Institute’s STEM Integration for District Leaders program. As a result of her efforts, she was named the Presidential Award for Excellence in Math and Science Teaching (PAEMST) winner for the state of Massachusetts in 2012 and was able to travel to the White House to meet President Obama during the awards ceremony in 2014.

She holds a Master’s degree in STEM Education from FSU (class of 2014) and returned to join the faculty as part of the program.

Heather Peters has been teaching in elementary schools, both public and independent, for the past twelve years. She has her Undergraduate Degree in Early Childhood Education and her Masters Degree in STEM Education. Both of her degrees are from Framingham State University. She currently teaches a mixed age group of 10, 11, and 12 year old students at Touchstone Community School, a progressive, project-based school in Grafton, MA. For Heather, education is a constant, reflective process. “I believe in the power of education to connect to humanity. I believe that we all have something powerful to share with each other and can develop this through our own teaching and learning.” This process should honor the learner with dignity and be taught with integrity. Heather is a member of the STEM M.Ed. teaching team and is eager to support current teachers in their personal and professional learning process.