MMSA Title: STEM Education Specialist
Hometown: Laurel, Maryland
Education: B.S in Biology from Virginia Tech, M.Ed. in Elementary Education (teaching certification grades 1-8) and Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction/Science Education from the University of Maryland
Something you’re proud of at MMSA: I am proud of the work that MMSA does to help elevate, recognize, and support the work of students and teachers in STEM and their local communities. I am also proud of the culture of collaboration both within MMSA and with our community partners.
What is your teaching/learning philosophy: I believe that learning is most meaningful when it happens through experience. A teacher’s role is to help facilitate students’ learning so that students construct their own knowledge and ways of knowing. I believe students can improve their own lives and communities through meaningful learning experiences.
STEM passion area: Science and environmental education. I am passionate about helping students and teachers learn about their local environments and explore and design scientific inquiry projects that can make improvements to their communities. I believe that the local environment provides an interdisciplinary context where students can learn about how science is relevant to their lives and an open-ended area for them to explore and develop new ideas through a “sense of wonder” (Rachel Carson).
What do you like most about your role at MMSA: I am excited about helping teachers make science relevant and meaningful for students. I also enjoy and appreciate working in a collaborative culture at MMSA. It is exciting to work on research in collaboration with other researchers and teachers to help improve STEM education practices at both the local level and the larger national and global levels.
Favorite STEM-related memory: In high school, I had the opportunity to intern at the Patuxent Wildlife Research Refuge in Laurel, Maryland. I worked with a wildlife veterinarian on research to help improve the endangered whooping cranes’ ability to recover from leg injuries. Through this experience, I learned how scientific research could make real world improvements for people, animals, and ecosystems. I also first learned about Rachel Carson’s legacy and contributions to the field of environmental science at PWRR. I am excited to now live in Maine where she wrote most of Silent Spring as well as the educational book A Sense of Wonder and continue to look up to her as a role model for making meaningful connections between science, society, and educational exploration.
What did you do before you worked at MMSA: Most recently, I was Associate Director of Academic Advising at University of Southern Maine where I advised students in the natural sciences. I also taught courses such as Environmental Education and Interpretation as a part-time faculty member in the Department of Environmental Science and Policy at USM. In prior roles, I have taught elementary and middle school science for K-8 students, and science and environmental education teaching methods courses for undergraduate and graduate students.
What do you like to do in your free time: I enjoy all of the many outdoor activities that Maine offers as well as swimming, yoga, gardening, cooking, and playing or listening to music. I also enjoy spending time with family, friends, and my cat Mimi.
Pronouns: she, her
Email: all emails are first initial last name at mmsa.org
Publications:
Coleman, M., Charmatz, K., Cook, A., Brokloff, S.E., & Matthews, K. (2021, December). From the Classroom to the Advising Office: Exploring Narratives of Advising as Teaching. NACADA Review: Academic Advising Praxis and Perspectives.
https://meridian.allenpress.com/nacada-review/article/2/1/36/475632/From-the-Classroom-to-the-Advising-Office
Charmatz, K. & Crawford, L. (2020, March). Supporting early-career STEM students. Academic Advising Today (43(1). https://nacada.ksu.edu/Resources/Academic-Advising-Today/View-Articles/Supporting-Early-Career-STEM-Students.aspx
Charmatz, K. (2018). Book Review: The Serengetic Rules: The Quest to Discover How Life Works and Why it Matters. NACADA: The Global Community for Academic Advising Journal. https://nacada.ksu.edu/Resources/Book-Reviews/Current-Past-Book-Reviews/The-Serengeti-Rules-The-Quest-to-Discover-How-Life-Works-and-Why-It-Matters-a8745.aspx
Charmatz, K. (2007). Dissertation: A Case Study of the Development of Environmental Action Projects from the Framework of Participatory Action Research within Two Middle School Classrooms.
https://drum.lib.umd.edu/handle/1903/7718
