2005 Participants

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Steve Allison-Bunnell, PhD
Senior Producer & Writer
Educational Web AdventuresSteve has been a New Media producer and writer since the inception of the Web as a mass medium, when he was the founding nature and science editor of Discovery.com in 1995. He previously gained Old Media experience as a science writer for print, radio, and television. Since 2000, he has helped Educational Web Adventures hone its learning theory-driven approach to online learning interactives. He received a PhD in Science & Technology Studies from Cornell University, where he explored the idea that natural history museum exhibits embodied both scientific research and public education. His science training includes a stint as a molecular biology lab technician, along with field studies in marine biology and neuroscience lab research as an undergraduate.
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Diane Andolsek
Vice President
WEATHERHEAD Experience Design Group, Inc.Diane Andolsek directs all aspects of web development efforts for WEATHERHEAD Experience Design Group. She is the former Director of Online Development for Experience Music Project and has background in audio and video production. Diane holds a Master of Arts in Media and Educational Technology with an emphasis on instructional design from Fairfield University and a Bachelor of Science in Communication/Radio and TV from Ohio University. Her work has appeared in the International Journal of Instructional Media.
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Andrea Bandelli
Collaboration Manager
IndependentMr Bandelli is an independent advisor on science communication initiatives. After working for newMetropolis in Amsterdam (now 'NEMO') from 1995 to 1999, he became manager of the Science Learning Network, a worldwide online community of educators, students, schools, science museums and other institutions pursuing a new inquiry-based science education model. Since 2000, he has also been project manager of BIONET, a virtual collaborative exhibition on the life sciences, and has been a consultant for various institutions in Europe and the USA, and for the national research organisations in Brazil and South Africa. He is currently executive project manager for "DeCiDe - Deliberative Citizens' Debates", a European project to promote and organize deliberative meetings in science centers and museums. His articles on public engagement with science and informal learning have been published by the Nobel Foundation, the Science Museum in London and in several journals. He is currently doing a doctoral research on the role of science museum in the policy making process.
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Dan Barstow
Director, Center for Science Teaching and Learning
TERCDaniel Barstow is Director of TERC's Center for Science Teaching and Learning. TERC is a non-profit educational R&D center, specializing in science, math and technology education. Barstow's work over the past decade has focused especially on Earth and space science education. He is a Principal Investigator on several major educational projects, including the National Conference on Science and Math in After School Programs, Exploring Earth, EarthKAM, GLOBE, MarsQuest Online and Visualizing Earth. Prior to his work at TERC, he was a teacher and administrator in the Hartford school system for 14 years, Assistant Director of the Talcott Mountain Science Center and President of Metacomet Software. Throughout, his work has focused on engaging learners in active, inquiry-based learning in science.
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Rick Bonney
Director, Program Development and Evaluation
Cornell Lab of OrnithologyRick Bonney is director of program development and evaluation at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, where he has worked since 1983. He is co-founder of the Lab's citizen science program, and his research focuses on 1) developing projects in which the public actively engages in scientific investigation and environmental conservation and 2) understanding the social and educational impacts of public involvement in science. He is co-editor of the second edition of the Lab's Home Study Course in Bird Biology, which includes the Cornell Handbook of Bird Biology (Princeton University Press, 2005). He also advises numerous projects throughout North America that are developing exhibits, curricula, interactive web sites, and community programs focused on science. He has published more than 100 newspaper and magazine articles about birds, natural history, and environmental concerns, and more than two dozen technical papers, reports, book chapters, and conference proceedings about birds and science education.
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Minda Borun
Dir. of Res. & Eval.
Franklin InstituteMinda Borun is the Director of Research and Evaluation at The Franklin Institute Science Museum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She is also an evaluation consultant and has conducted workshops on exhibit and program evaluation for numerous museums, informal learning institutions, organizations and federal agencies. She is currently working with David Schaller and Steven Allison-Bunnell on an NSF-funded research study of the effects of children's learning styles on their preferences for online educational activities.
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James M. Bower PhD
Chairman of the Board and CEO
Numedeon Inc.
Founders of Whyville.netDr. James Bower is a professor of Computational Neurobiology at the University of Texas San Antonio and the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio. He is also Chairman and CEO of Numedeon Inc, whose educational website for Children, Whyville.net, recently surpassed 1 million registered users and is one of the "stickiest" sites on the entire Internet. Known as "Superid" on Whyville, his cartoon image (above) is known to hundred's of thousands of 12 year old girls who dominate the social and political life of Whyville.
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Jake Cressman
Senior Interactive Designer
Cornell Lab of OrnithologyJake Cressman is an Interactive Designer and head of the Web Group at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. He began his career as a motion graphics designer and Flash developer, working for such clients as Janus Capital Group, Airwalk, and USA Network. After working for Level 3 Communications as an Art Director, Jake now focuses his experience on making science and education related web sites that are engaging and usable for the Lab's wide range of users. As a Senior Investigator, Jake is also researching innovative mechanisms for blending science knowledge with opportunities for formal and informal science education in partnership with the National Science Digital Library. He also teaches Flash design in the Computer Science Department at Cornell University and lectures on topics related to information architecture and web design practices.
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Jane C. Cross
Web Site Manager
Monterey Bay AquariumEncouraging and facilitating interest in and caring about science and our connection to the world we live his has been the continuing theme of my convoluted career path. In my current role as director of the Monterey Bay Aquarium's web site, one of my interests is how to develop and evaluate interatives and other media that lead to learning, engagement and inspiration. And how to use this engagement and inspiration to motivate behavior change. I'd love to hear ideas or experience from others on this topic!
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Christina Finneran
Educational Systems Consultant
Bowdoin CollegeTina Finneran works within Bowdoin College's Educational Research & Development group to promote technology solutions that enhance pedagogy. Though many of her projects directly relate to formal courses, she sees a growing trend toward fostering learning communities with informal and peer learning. She is currently leading the effort to create a Women in Math & Science blog at Bowdoin which has the goal of enhancing community among majors. Also a Ph.D. candidate at Syracuse University, Christina's research skills are targeted toward evaluating these technological tools in their contribution toward learning.
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Brian Foley
Assistant Professor
CSUNBrian Foley is an Assistant Professor in the Secondary Education Department at CSUN. His research focuses on the use of the internet to support learning communities for students and for teachers and the use of visualization in science education. He is currently working on an analysis of the science learning on Whyville.net an online informal learning community. Whyville is one of the first informal learning sites that utilized multi-user technology to create a dynamic social environment. Before coming to CSUN, Brian completed his Ph.D. at UC Berkeley and worked at the Caltech Precollege Science Initiative and at UC Irvine.
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Susan Gallagher
Educational Designer
UCAR/GLOBESusan Gallagher is an educational designer for The GLOBE Program at UCAR in Boulder, CO. She develops both distance learning courses and online, interactive informal learning materials. Since pioneering instructional technology teaching strategies in her high school geography classroom, she continues her interest in using interactivity and visual information to enhance learning. Gallagher taught grad and undergrad courses in instructional technology and has worked as a consultant on projects for National Geographic Society’s Education Foundation. She is a co-author of Web Teaching, 2nd Edition, and received a Codie Award for the curriculum supplement to A World of Learning: 108 Years of National Geographic. Gallagher earned her Ph.D. from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

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Rick Godin
Board Member
Natural History Museum of the AdirondacksRick Godin has spent 30 years creating images and video for advertising, P.R. and entertainment in the business and corporate world. Most recently Rick joined the Board of Trustees of the Natural History Museum of the Adirondacks to lend his skills for exhibit and online media productions as well as educational programming.
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