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GROUP MEMBERS

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PI - ERIN SHORTLIDGE, PHD

Associate Professor of Biology

Erin is an Associate Professor the Department of Biology at PSU.  Her path to academia has been a non-linear one. She was a professional contemporary dancer for over a decade before transitioning to earning her PhD in Biology in 2014.  Her PhD work focused on the ecology and physiology of mosses and moss reproductive success.  Here she was lucky enough to do field work in Lassen Volcanic National Park and in the South Shetland Islands on the Western Antarctic Peninsula.   

Through a postdoc at Arizona State University she transitioned to Biology Education Research (BER), and this is where she happily remains.  She is excited to further explore the education ecosystem of PSU and beyond with members of the PSU BER group and collaborators across campus and the country.  Erin is the PI of a NSF-funded Scholarships in STEM program (S-STEM), and is involved with a number of groups including the PSU STEM Education and Equity InstituteCUREnet, the Student Experience Project, U-FERN, PNW LSAMP, and others.

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Postdoctoral Scholar

Diyala joined the group in summer of 2023. Her work focus on the impacts of graduate teaching assistant professional development through the Evolving the Culture of Biology project. Diyala is a first generation Palestinian born and raised in the Bay Area, California. She has a bachelor's degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and a PhD in Metabolic Biology. While completing her graduate studies, Diyala grew into her passion for science education, teaching and developing curriculum through the UC Berkeley Biology Scholars Program. Through this work, she developed lessons on science skepticism and science denial with an emphasis on the impacts on teaching science controversies. She then worked as a lecturer and course specialist at UC Berkeley, developing and launching a new pathways to science course and teaching pedagogy to integrative biology graduate students before joining the Shortlidge Biology Education Research Group as a postdoctoral scholar.

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PhD Student

Leland joined the BER group in fall of 2022, engaging in community based research on hunting bullet terminal performance. He is concurrently running conservation projects in Oregon and across North America, working with hunters to improve the sustainability of hunting as a management tool and outdoor tradition through the voluntary use of lead-free ammunition. He has over 15 years of experience in field and community conservation biology, and continues to work to build support for community led conservation. 

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ELIZABETH RUNKEL BAEZ

Research Assistant

Ellie recently graduated from PSU with a Bachelor's of Science in Chemistry with Honors. She joined the Shortlidge lab in the Fall of 2023 and is working on understanding the reception of belonging exercises in STEM and student perceptions of inclusive teaching practices, as well as the outcomes of teaching TAs how to teach. Ellie hopes to pursue a PhD in Chemistry education and use her understanding of sense of belonging and inclusive teaching as a professor to make education more accessible to everyone. Outside of work Ellie and her husband love to spend time with their small flock of chickens and new puppy.

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MAKENNA STONE

Undergraduate Researcher

Makenna is currently an undergraduate student working on her BS in Biology and plans to go to graduate school for wildlife biology. She has lived in Oregon her whole life and has always been fond of the outdoors, which is what initially sparked her interest in the field of biology. Makenna joined the BER group in February of 2023 and has been an active participant in assisting with biology education research. Makenna values the importance of inclusivity in the world of STEM academia and strives to contribute toward its success.

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GIL (SHE/HER)

Lab Mascot

Gil emerged into this world from her gelatinous egg on March 20th, 2017, as the offspring of two fecund and ambivalent (but presumably proud) PSU Biology Department axolotls. The BER lab adopted her later that summer, when she had grown approximately to the size of a small paperclip and had progressed from a diet of daphnia and brine shrimp to chopped frozen bloodworms. Under the dedicated care of BER lab members, Gil has grown to be about 8 inches long, and continues to voraciously consume frozen bloodworms and the occasional organically-sourced fresh earthworm. When not eating, Gil enjoys staring at her reflection in the glass, floating lackadaisically around her tank, and critiquing BER lab member’s practice talks.

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BER GROUP MEMBERS

Who have moved on...

Former BER members not pictured:

Vivian Phan

Lindsay Lutner

Vladimir Anokhin

Analee Pham

Sophia Voronoff

Sarah Sheghwi

Megan Thran

Phoebe Huyen

Yelisey Gurzhuy

Megan Thran

Jane Cao

Justin Flaiban

Chloe Shelby

Lucas Bennington

Emily Olson

Alisia Overton

Emily Cornelius

Miles Fletcher

Greggory Dallas

Kyahn Daraee

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MACKENZIE GRAY, PHD

Former PhD Student

MacKenzie graduated from Portland State University in 2020 with a B.S. in Public Health. She joined the BER group in 2018, where she completed the Ronald E. McNair and BUILD EXITO Scholars programs, as well as her honor’s thesis. She is excited to be returning to the group as a PhD student in Fall 2020. Her research interests include understanding the factors that contribute to students’ success in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields, as well as how students from different backgrounds participate and learn in the STEM fields.

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JUSTIN BERL, MS

Former Master's Student

Justin will be joining the BER lab in the fall of 2021 as a graduate student researcher. His previous research with the University of Colorado and University of Georgia focused on understanding and improving bio education tools and techniques. He is interested in researching strategies for teaching and classroom development that make biology education more engaging, accessible, and equitable. Justin is looking forward to working alongside other members of the BER lab to help improve the way that biology is taught and understood.

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EMMA GOODWIN, PHD

former PhD student

Emma is now a postdoctoral fellow at Arizona State University.

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BRIE TRIPP, PHD

former PhD student

Assistant Professor of Teaching
Department of Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior
University of California, Davis
Assistant Professor of Teaching
Department of Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior
University of California, Davis

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LIZ RAIN-GRIFFITH, MS

former Master's student

Liz is now working for a consulting group.

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CECILIA SAHNOW

Former Undergraduate Researcher, LSAMP Scholar

Cecilia is an undergraduate LSAMP Scholar and is currently pursuing her bachelor's degree with a major in biology and a minor in GIS. She joined the BER group in the spring of 2023 and has been working with the BER group to understand how community college transfer students develop a sense of belonging in STEM. As a first-generation transfer student, Cecilia is passionate about learning how to bridge barriers to education and through this work hopes to promote the success of STEM students. In her free time, Cecilia can be found staring at moss, playing fetch with her cat, or digging for roly-polys with her nephew

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PATRICIA CABRERA-PEREZ

Former Undergraduate Researcher

Patricia is a McNair and LSAMP Scholar and is an undergraduate student who joined the BER Lab in Fall of 2021. Her experience working as a community advocate within the Reynolds School District, sparked her passion for increasing access to quality education to marginalized communities. Currently, Patricia is working towards a Bachelor of Science degree in Math with the hopes to one day become a math teacher. She believes the research in the BER Lab will allow her to develop knowledge and skills essential for teaching future generations.

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LILIANA DIAZ

Former Undergraduate Researcher

Liliana is an undergraduate student double-majoring in Biology and Public Health. She is a McNair, LSAMP, and BUILD EXITO scholar. She joined the BER lab in late 2020 and is working on understanding the factors that contribute to sense of belonging in STEM. After graduation, her goals include pursuing a master's in clinical epidemiology and then applying to medical school. As an immigrant from Colombia, Liliana has a strong interest in Latino health and hopes to one day serve her community.

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JASMINE VILLAFLOR

former researcher

Jasmine is now in a Master's program at New York University.

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JESS CARY

former researcher

Jess is now working in a research lab in Beaverton, OR

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HAYLEY THERRIEN

former researcher

Hayley is now in Physical Therapy program at OSU-Cascades.

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NIKKI NGUYEN

 former undergraduate Researcher

Use this space to write a brief description of what this team member does. You can include relevant degrees, experience or other special qualifications they may have.

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SANDHYA GUNARATHNE

former undergraduate researcher, build EXITO scholar

Sandhya is an undergraduate researcher who joined the BER lab group in Spring 2021. They are a Build EXITO scholar who is passionate about incorporating equity, mental health awareness, and social justice into the research process. Sandhya will be graduating with their Bachelor's degree in Biology in Summer 2021 with hopes of a career working with college students. In their free time, Sandhya likes to listen to podcasts, learn new languages on Duolingo, and buy too many houseplants.

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DANIEL KUBES

 former post-baccalaureate Researcher

Daniel is working in a dermatology clinic in Portland, OR

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