Karen S. McNeal, Ph.D.
Director
Dr. McNeal is a discipline-based education researcher and studies how people think and learn about Earth systems and global change phenomena. She has led graduate training projects, directed, researched, and evaluated multiple NSF projects at over $20M, and produced more than 50 publications. She has been a geoscience education and geocognition research for over fifteen years. She has served as past-president of the Geoscience Education Research Division of the National Association of Geoscience Teachers, Editor of Research for the Journal of Geoscience Education, and on several NSF proposal review panels.
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​RESEARCH INTERESTS
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Student's conceptual model development of complex earth systems
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Assessing people's knowledge and perceptions of climate change
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Using technology and active learning practices in formal and informal learning environments to engage students and the public in the geosciences
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Interaction of affect and cognition on student engagement and learning
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Development and testing of programs that assist scientists and engineers in communicating science
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Recruitment and engagement of under-represented groups in geosciences.
