Mary earned her BS in Biochemistry with a minor in Psychology from Arizona State University. Her research in the Cooper Biology Education Research Lab examines how academic experiences influence depression among science undergraduate and graduate students, with a focus on identity, coping mechanisms, and attributions. In her free time, she enjoys playing Nintendo/online video games, attending concerts, cooking, and traveling.

Email: mkahrama@asu.edu; LinkedIn; Lab members page

Brittany earned her BS in Biology at Regis University and is currently a PhD student at the University of Colorado, Boulder. She is currently co-mentored by Jenny Knight and Meredith Betterton. Brittany is working on research on the Core Concepts from the Vision and Change framework and characterizing microtubule and motor protein dynamics. She is interested in interdisciplinary work and how we can better biological education. A fun fact about Brittany is that she was named after Britney Spears. Brittany is excited to be a part of DBER-SIT and work in Elections and Bylaws.

LinkedIn

Eddie earned his BS in Biology at the University of Alaska Anchorage and is a current Masters Student. Eddie is Working on Open Educational Resources and Gamification with an emphasis on Co-Creation between student and Teacher, under the Guidance of Dr. Rachael Hannah. He is interested in Interdisciplinary studies and how students can create their own materials of learning to better the future of Education. His hobbies include reading Fiction novels, playing video games, and listening to music. Most recently finishing Expedition 33 and the most recent novel in Dungeon Crawler Carl. Eddie is excited to be a part of DBER-Sit and contribute to SABER.

Email: eejoo@alaska.edu; LinkedIn

Emily is a PhD candidate in the Gardner Research Group (headed by Stephanie Gardner) in the Department of Biological Sciences at Purdue University. She uses primarily qualitative methods to investigate impacts on the development of interdisciplinary STEM identity of graduate students active in unique NSF-funded centers called Biology Integration Institutes (BIIs). She comes from a background in microbiology research on foodborne pathogens, Listeria and Salmonella. She earned a BS in Biology from the University of Dayton in Dayton, OH.  Outside of research, Emily loves to create, whether through fine arts, crafting, or performance. Additionally, she combines her love of science and art in the field of science communication, so she is eager to bring her skills bolstering visibility and engagement to the fantastic community of DBER scholars.

Email: egeorgop@purdue.edu; LinkedIn

Alyssa is a PhD student in the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Nebraska - Lincoln (UNL), working alongside Brian Couch. Alyssa's research includes developing assessments and using video recordings, surveys, and assessments to study how instructor implementation of published biology lessons impacts student learning. Before starting her Ph.D., she completed her BS In Neuroscience at the University of Minnesota (UMN). After graduating from UMN, she did research with Dr. A. Kelly Lane (UMN) and Dr. Sehoya Cotner (UMN and University of Bergen/UiB), focusing on using qualitative and quantitative methods to examine student use of personnel resources in laboratory-based CUREs, student perceptions of genetics and race, and student identity salience in an international graduate-level field ecology course. When not doing research, Alyssa enjoys spending time outside with her Siberian husky, traveling, baking, and falling into Wikipedia rabbit holes.

Email: aolson58@huskers.unl.edu; LinkedIn; ORCID

María is a Ph.D. candidate in Biology Education whose work focuses on community‑engaged and inclusive teaching practices in STEM. She holds a B.S. in Microbiology from Universidad de Los Andes (Colombia) and an M.S. in Resource Management in the Tropics from Cologne University of Applied Sciences (Germany). With over ten years of experience teaching Biology and Ecology, she is committed to student‑centered learning and broadening participation in science. In Dr. Prevost’s Biology Education Lab, she has contributed to DEIJ‑focused ecology workforce research, including Diverse Voices Building an Inclusive Community for Ecology and Growing an Inclusive Ecological Professional Society. Her doctoral dissertation investigates community‑engaged learning from faculty perspectives in STEM classrooms. A fun fact: she loves reading, riding her bike in nature, and is a proud mom of a fourth-grader.

LinkedIn

Julia Mellary is a PhD student in the Department of Integrative Biology at the University of Guelph, working with Dr. Dan Grunspan in the Social Networks and Pedagogy (SNAP) Lab. She discovered her love & passion for DBER during her BSc in Biomedical Science, which she also completed at Guelph. As an undergraduate, she worked on projects that explored how past educational experiences shape instructors' and undergraduate students’ beliefs about teaching. Her MSc research explored the relationship between undergraduate students' achievement-goal orientations and their use of generative AI. Her PhD focuses on understanding the features of high-structure courses on student motivation, and characterizing students' understanding of cell signaling. In her spare time, she can often be found reading, knitting, or enjoying the company of her (many) cats.

Email: jmellary@uoguelph.ca; LinkedIn