LEAPS UCSB Faculty Participants

Beth Gwinn
UCSB Physics
Beth Gwinn (LEAPS Principal Investigator) is a professor in UCSB’s Physics Department. Her field of research is experimental condensed matter physics (http://www.iqcd.ucsb.edu/gwinngroup/). “LEAPS helps people-oriented science and engineering students thrive at UCSB by giving them the opportunity to share their enthusiasm for science with school children, while enjoying a close working relationship with teachers. It has been rewarding for me to see the Fellows’ confidence and ability to communicate grow through their participation in LEAPS. The dedication and creativity of the teachers involved inspires my own enthusiasm for teaching at the university level.”

Fiona Goodchild
California NanoSystems Institute at UCSB
Fiona Goodchild is director of education outreach at the California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) at UCSB. She combines her teaching experience with her background in research and evaluation to integrate research science and education in projects that link the campus with K-12 science. She taught high school students and undergraduates in Ontario, Canada, and has been an instructor at community college and graduate level in California since moving to Santa Barbara in 1988. Dr. Goodchild has a long standing interest in how students learn math and science and is currently investigating how research scientists can partner with science teachers to develop teaching expertise, especially in the use of technology to enrich the school science curriculum.

Wendy Ibsen
California NanoSystems Institute at UCSB
Wendy Ibsen is the school-site supervisor for the LEAPS project. She believes that LEAPS has the potential to benefit all those involved by providing accessible role models for students, authentic teaching experiences for researchers, and inspiring creative collaborations between teachers and the university community. Ms. Ibsen has worked as a classroom teacher and an education coordinator with several K-12 science education programs at UCSB. She is interested in the process of building successful and sustainable partnerships between university researchers and schools.

Helen Hansma
UCSB Physics
Co-PI