Principal Investigators | Evaluator | Instructional Design | Staff | Teaching Assistants | Technology Specialist
Simona Bartl
Dr.
Bartl has been using biotechnology and the associated information technology
in her research since 1983. She has taught biology classes at the undergraduate
and graduate level for 13 years and began a professional development program
for teachers in the fall of 1999. Dr. Bartl brings extensive experience in
research, teaching, program development, and management to this project. She
is committed to supporting and improving science and technology education at
the K-12 level and enjoys presenting STEM (science, technology, engineering,
math) content in the context of current scientific research to diverse audiences.
Henrik Kibak
Dr. Henrik Kibak is an associate professor at CSU Monterey Bay who teaches courses in Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology, and Science for Teachers. He has an extensive programming and information technology background and has been using the web for instruction since 1995. Grant-funded activities include NSF, Department of Education, and private foundation projects. His most recent and highly successful project, “Data-rich Nomadic Wireless Webcasts for High School Science,” provides the hardware and capability to conduct the proposed interactive webcasts. All of his courses have significant web components and the “Inquiry-based Life Science for Teachers” course has won CSU-wide recognition as a model course for blended programs. Besides wet lab and lecture components, the course includes 14 one-hour computer lab learning experiences that enable teachers to prepare and publish digital movies, excel spreadsheets, animations and PowerPoint presentations in support of standards-based science lesson plans they develop.
Dr. Kibak delivers the bioinformatics instruction to the teachers in the workshop and helps them with integrating bioinformatics, California State Science Content Standards, and student-friendly datasets into their lessons. He is also responsible for supervising undergraduate technicians to support the webcasts and website.
Robertta Barba
Dr.
Robertta H. Barba is a Professor at San Jose State University and Chair, Department
of Instructional Technology, where she teaches graduate coursework including:
Research Seminar, Interactive Web Site Design, Advanced Computer Graphics,
Interactive Instructional Video, Distance Education: Web-based Learning, Emerging
Technologies, and Digital Photography for Educators. Dr. Barba received her
B.S. and M.S. degrees at the University of Delaware and her Ph.D. degree at
the Pennsylvania State University. She has previously held faculty positions
at San Diego State University and the University of New Mexico. Her scholarly
activities include 100 refereed articles, 6 books, 15 chapters in edited texts,
64 conference presentations, 70 web sites and software publications, 50 invited
articles and presentations, and 29 funded projects.
Dr. Barba is an experienced science educator, having worked in the Appoquinimink School District in Odessa, Delaware; Christina School District in Newark, Delaware; Quemado Rural Independent Schools in Quemado, New Mexico, Encinco Rural Independent Schools, Encino, New Mexico; and the Albuquerque Public Schools in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She has worked as a classroom teacher, a science department chair, a district science curriculum supervisor, and a student teacher supervisor.
Helen Cagampang
Prior to her position as Independent Evaluator for Marine Biotechnology and Bioinformatics for Teachers, Helen Cagampang evaluated statewide school and community-based health education programs for California adolescents for more than 15 years. She served as Project Director at the Institute for Health Policy Studies, University of California, San Francisco and at the Family Welfare Research Group, UC Berkeley. Her responsibilities at the two Universities included proposal development, basic research, evaluation design, instrument design and testing, implementation oversight, data collection, analysis of both qualitative and quantitative data, and preparation of reports. She also taught research methods at the college level and science in elementary and middle schools in California and in the Philippines where she was a Peace Corps Volunteer. She participated in a nation-wide study of vocational education, coordinating a five-year panel survey of high school and community college students. She holds degrees from Stanford University (BA) and UC Berkeley (MPP, Ph.D.). She has published in the areas of adolescent pregnancy prevention program evaluation, health careers for adolescents, vocational education, school finance, and teacher supply and demand. She is passionate about politics and DailyKos, enjoys spending time with her two grandchildren, and has enjoyed traveling in Europe and Asia.
Steven McGriff
Dr. Steven McGriff is an Assistant Professor at San Jose State University, Department of Instructional Technology, where he teaches graduate coursework including: Graphic Design for Performance and Learning, Seminar in Instructional Technology, Practicum, Emerging Technologies, Microcomputers in Education, and Distance Education and Telecommunications. Steve earned his B.A. in Art Design at Stanford University, an M.A. in Instructional Technology at San José State University, and recently completed is doctorate in Instructional Systems at The Pennsylvania State University. He has previously worked in faculty development at Stanford University and as a consultant in instructional design.
Traci Conlin 
I received my B.S. degree in Aquatic Biology at the University of Texas at Austin in 1997. In 1995-96, I participated in the East West Marine Biology Program offered through Northeastern University in which I had the opportunity to study the ocean in three different locations: the Pacific Northwest, Caribbean and North Atlantic. In 2003, I completed my M.S. degree in Biology at California State University, Northridge. My Master's research conducted in Discovery Bay, Jamaica examined the effect of algal turf microenvironments on the physiology of juvenile corals. For the past 6 years I have worked at Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, where I have been responsible for a variety of tasks including: 1) designing and implementing public education programs for the Friends of Moss Landing Marine Labs; 2) fostering a culture of fund development for the labs through philanthropic giving, grant preparation, event coordination, and community partnerships; 3) conducting public outreach for the Alliance for Coastal Technologies (ACT) Program; and 4) facilitating a professional development program for middle and high school science teachers through MLML's Teacher Enhancement Program (TEP).
I am excited to play a role in the Teacher Enhancement Program (TEP) at MLML because I believe that a singular, non-traditional educational experience can make a difference in someone's life. This happened for me when I was in high school and had the great fortune to sail with my science teacher aboard a research vessel at the University of Texas, Port Aransas. As I stood on the ship's deck with my fellow students and peered at the critters we had just collected with a net tow, I knew that I was home and my life would forever be changed and guided by the sea. I take great pleasure in offering similar marine science opportunities to teachers and their students, thereby making a difference in their life experiences and future career choices.
Erinn McKell
I
am a 3rd year graduate student in the Biological Oceanography lab at Moss Landing
Marine Laboratories. After graduating in 1997 with a B.S. in biology from UCSB,
I went to work in the pharmaceutical industry. Over the next five years, I
was fortunate enough to experience the corporate culture of both small and
big pharmaceutical companies and was afforded training opportunities in a variety
of different disciplines including natural products chemistry, high throughput
screening and protein biochemistry. In an unexpected twist of circumstances,
I found myself employed in the mortgage industry where I remained for the next
several years. It was during this time that my thoughts returned to my love
of science and the ocean. I began graduate school in Fall 2004 with the feeling
that I was in the right place. With my classes completed, I am focusing on
my thesis. Using a combination of chemical and molecular biological techniques,
I am attempting to identify the community of denitrifying bacteria that reside
in Elkhorn Slough and quantify their contribution to overall rates of nitrogen
removal from the system. The workshop has allowed me to combine two of my favorite
things: teaching and talking about science. I have enjoyed sharing my knowledge
and enthusiasm and, in return, have continued to learn myself. In my free time,
I enjoy traveling, scuba diving, reading and teaching myself the guitar.
Sarah Smith
I am currently a graduate student at Moss Landing Marine Laboratories studying biological oceanography. After completing my Bachelor of Science degree in
Biology at Santa Clara University I worked as a research assistant for the
Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary on the SIMoN program. The SIMoN program
is designed to synthesize current research in the Monterey Bay with the goals
of enhancing communication amongst researchers and informing the public about
current scientific investigations in the Monterey Bay area. At Moss Landing,
I continue to work for the SIMoN program with Dr. Nick Welschmeyer on a specific
project to characterize the planktonic community, primarily phytoplankton,
in the Elkhorn Slough. For my Masters thesis I am investigating the viability
of marine bacteria and phytoplankton using molecular stains, and am also using
biotechnology as a tool to identify a marine ciliate with Dr. Jon Geller. Microscopic
organisms are difficult to study due to their small size and because of this
biotechnology is a valuable tool. I am fortunate to be involved with the Teacher
Enhancement Program, where there is teaching and learning at many levels. I
believe these interactions build good communication and facilitate an enhanced
educational experience. In my free time I like to cook, garden, and play tennis.
Shelby Boyer
I am a graduate student the Invertebrate Zoology and Molecular Ecology Lab at Moss Landing Marine Labs. I completed an Bachelor of Science in Biology at the University of Florida where I worked as a research assistant on several coral reef projects. In addition to lab work in Florida, I travelled to Moorea, French Polynesia to study interactions between corals and other organisms including farmer fish, vermited worms, symbiotic crabs, and macroalgae. At Moss Landing, I work with Dr. Jonathan Geller using biotechnology to explore the diversity of single celled algal species that live inside of coral tissues and to examine how this diversity effects the fitness of the coral host. I believe there is a great need for better communication between the science community and the public so that people can understand human impact on the world around them, particularly the oceans.
Danielle Frechette
I am currently a graduate student in the Vertebrate Ecology Laboratory at Moss Landing Marine Laboratories. While earning my B.S. in Biological Sciences from the University of Vermont I worked in a molecular ecology and systematics laboratory, studying the dispersal patterns of bobcat in Vermont, using molecular markers. After graduation, I took and interned at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and the University of Southern Maine, where I worked on sequencing genes that are used as biomarkers of exposure to PCB's and other environmental contaminants, in Atlantic white-sided dolphins. After my internship, I took some time to explore Alaska and gain experience in education and interpretation, by working as a naturalist. I have just begun my thesis research studying the effects of bird predation on juvenile salmon in two Santa Cruz County estuaries. I love working with TEP; it allows me the opportunity to continue to develop my skills as a teacher, and learn and develop new ways to make science accessible for the public. I am a ski bum at heart, but also love kayaking and exploring the outdoors in general.
