Chair & Secretary
David Esparza is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Cornell University working alongside Dr. Michelle K. Smith in the Cornell Discipline-based Education Research Group. In his research, Esparza uses social network analysis and semi-structured interviews to understand how social interaction between students in undergraduate lab and field courses relates to their cognitive and affective development. He is motivated by his goal to help build a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive STEM landscape. Before his Ph.D., he completed his B.A. in Biological Sciences at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP). At UTEP, David worked with Dr. Jeffrey T. Olimpo to assess relationships between student behaviors and outcomes in course-based undergraduate research experiences. When he is not wearing his researcher hat, Dave enjoys going to concerts, lifting, collecting vinyl records, birding, and film photography.
Email Address: [email protected] Professional Links: Twitter/X, LinkedIn, ResearchGate, Google Scholar |
Ethan Roberts is an M.S. student in the Biological Sciences Department at California State University, Sacramento and does Discipline-based Education Research under Drs. Kelly McDonald and Cathy Ishikawa. For his graduate thesis, Ethan is using social network analysis to understand how faculty relationships change over time in an interdisciplinary academic community of transformation. He is also working on a project aimed at creating social justice for students with disabilities in course-based Authentic Learning Experiences with Dr. Joya Mukerji and colleagues. During his undergraduate career, Ethan trained as an ecology researcher at California State University Sacramento under Dr. Tim M. Davidson with an emphasis in evolution and species invasions. He also has a rigorous visual art background which has led to him creating science illustrations, logos, and other artworks that support research and other academic practices. Outside of work, Ethan enjoys doing creative hobbies, like doodling and animating, playing jazz piano, baking bread, and sharing games with friends. Email: [email protected] |
Past Chairs
Past Secretaries