Kelly Grindstaff

Kelly joined SEPUP in 2020, bringing extensive experience in science and STEM education as a teacher (middle and high school), researcher, evaluator, teacher educator, and designer and provider of professional development for teachers and outreach programs for students. She began her teaching career in Ontario and British Columbia, earned her PhD in Curriculum, Teaching and Educational Policy from Michigan State University, and served as the Project Manager for Teacher Professional Development at the Center for Initiatives in Pre-College Education at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in upstate New York. Thus Kelly brings a variety of skills and experiences from diverse contexts to enrich her work with SEPUP. Kelly is deeply committed to fostering engagement and learning in the intertwined STEM disciplines – especially for those who have had limited access and/or are from backgrounds underrepresented in STEM fields and careers. She has a career-long interest in the environment and sustainability, and in helping teachers engage students, connecting to their lives and communities through STEM, addressing real-world issues such as food production and waste, and energy sources and efficiency.