Director                                                                                                                                                  Center for Science and the Schools 

As CSATS Director, she leads a team that works collaboratively with scientists and engineers to design and implement STEM education outreach programs that bridge cutting-edge science and engineering research and K-12 classrooms. Kathy received her B.A. degree in geological sciences from Lehigh University, followed by a M.S. degree in Environmental Pollution Control from Pennsylvania State University. With a move to Phoenix, Arizona, she worked in environmental consulting for 10 years, which involved a wide variety of projects across the desert southwest region. She then transitioned to teaching middle and high school science and served as a teacher leader on the NASA Phoenix Student Internship Program as well as coordinator for a school-wide middle school science and engineering fair. After earning her Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction (Science Education) from Arizona State University, she joined the CSATS team to work with scientists and engineers to create STEM education outreach programs that engage teachers and precollege students in the practices of cutting-edge science and engineering research.                     

Chair | Penn State Museum Consortium                                                         Director | Pasto Agricultural Museum and Armsby Respiration Calorimeter Historic Site                                                                                                          

Rita is a museum educator and collection curator working at the intersection of science and history to engage audiences in the story of agriculture, agricultural research, and the natural world. Rita serves as the Chair of the Penn State Museum Consortium, representing museums, galleries, and collections across Penn State’s University Park Campus. 

Science Educator and Center for Nanoscale Science Partnership Lead Discovery Space 

After dedicating a decade to broadcast meteorology, Christy Shields pursued her other passion for STEM education. She now serves as a Science Educator at Discovery Space of Central PA. In her role, she focuses on outreach to rural communities and collaborations with community partners. 

Program Director                                                                                                                             Education & Outreach for the Center for Nanoscale Science 

Kristin Dreyer is the Program Director for Education & Outreach for the Center for Nanoscale Science, as NSF funded Materials Research Science & Engineering Center (MRSEC). She earned her B.S. in Physics and her B.S. in Secondary Education from Penn State and taught physics and mathematics at the secondary and post-secondary level for many years. While raising a family, Kristin continued to develop and implement informal science education summer programs. At the Penn State MRSEC, Kristin currently

manages the strategic development and implementation of the grant’s education and outreach portfolio, engaging faculty and student researchers in all programs and initiatives.

Director                                                                                                                                                  Eberly College of Science – Office of Science Outreach 

Caitlin Teti is an educator and science advocate currently serving as the director of the Eberly College of Science Office of Science Outreach. With a background in geoscience and ecosystem management, Caitlin shifted her focus to education, driven by her passion for sharing knowledge about the natural world. She has held roles at Shaver’s Creek Environmental Center and the NASA Pennsylvania Space Grant Consortium. Caitlin is also pursuing her doctorate in education. Outside of her professional life, Caitlin enjoys reading, crafting, gaming, swimming, and hiking. She lives with her fiancé, Ryan, and their two cats, Perry and Chewie. 

Education Program Specialists | Eberly College of Science – Office of Science Outreach

Carol-Beth works as an Education Program Specialist in the Office of Science Outreach in the Eberly College of Science and is involved in implementing programs such as Science-U, ENVISION, and Exploration-U. These outreach events focus on encouraging youth and community members to explore the many options available in STEM. She also volunteers as the co-chair of the STEM committee of AAUW-State College which supports the STEM education of local young women and owns a family engineering business. Carol-Beth began her science journey at Bucknell University, studying biology. She then ventured into biomedical research at Penn State’s College of Medicine in Hershey, where she earned an MS and PhD in pharmacology. Before joining the Office of Science Outreach, Carol-Beth served in a leadership position in early childhood education and volunteered on behalf of youth.

Director | Engineering Ambassadors Program and Assistant Teaching Professor

Lori first worked with the Leonhard Center years ago as a Liberal Arts instructor running a few group communication workshops for first-year engineering students. She joined the College of Engineering full-time in 2017 as the Director of the Engineering Ambassadors Program. This program gives me the opportunity to continue helping engineers hone their communication skills while preparing them to be linchpins in the workforce. Lori received her PhD in Workforce Education and Development from Penn State in 2021. Her research explored how innovations in technical presentation techniques pioneered at Penn State by Michael Alley can be spread more widely in industry.

(Past) Assistant Director for Education and Outreach | Reactor Science and Engineering Center

Candace Davison has been a STEM educator for more than 30 years, including at Penn State University, where she was most recently Assistant Director for Education and Outreach and Coordinator of the Gamma Irradiation facility at the Penn State Radiation Science and Engineering Center. She was the first woman to be licensed as a Senior Reactor Operator on the university’s TRIGA Mark III Reactor. Davison joined Penn State in the Energy Technology Projects group in the Nuclear Engineering Department, where she developed programs and presentations on energy, nuclear technology, radon gas, and radioactive waste. She began developing teacher training programs a few years after arriving at Penn State, when she became the director of the Penn State Nuclear Concepts and Technological Issues Institute.