Research Organizations
About TERC
TERC is a nonprofit made up of teams of math and science education and research experts dedicated to innovation and creative problem solving. At the frontier of theory and practice, TERC’s work encompasses research, content and curriculum development, technology innovation, professional development, and program evaluation. TERC has a passion for social justice and strives to create level playing fields for all learners, reaching more than three million students every year. To learn more, please visit www.terc.edu.
About Tufts University Center for Engineering Education and Outreach
Tufts University Center for Engineering Education and Outreach (CEEO), located just outside Boston MA USA, is a leader in “improving education through engineering” for K-12 and university classrooms. The fundamental belief motivating our education research, educational technologies, and outreach is that this integration helps students develop critical skills and improved excitement for learning, leading to wider technical literacy, higher quality of life, and greater environmental responsibility awareness. To learn more about Tufts CEEO and all we have to offer, please visit ceeo.tufts.edu.
Project Researchers
Our project team combines expertise in science, engineering, and STEM education.


Debra Bernstein, Ph.D., is a senior researcher in the STEM Education Evaluation Center (SEEC) at TERC, a non-profit research and development organization. Her research interests include curriculum design, implementation, and learning opportunities arising from the integration of Integrated STEM and design activities into K-12 and informal learning settings.


Michael Cassidy, Ph.D., is a Senior Researcher at TERC. His work focuses on teacher professional learning, computational thinking, engineering education, robotics, and evaluation of mathematics and science intervention programs.


Bill Church, M.A., is an educator and creative problem solver with decades of experience in education and technical fields. He taught high school physics for 15 years at Dover and Littleton High Schools in New Hampshire and founded White Mountain Science, Inc., a STEM education nonprofit, where he spent 10 years advancing hands-on learning. His work reflects a passion for helping learners explore, design, and solve problems.


Ethan Danahy, Ph.D. is a Research Associate Professor at the Center for Engineering Education and Outreach (CEEO) with secondary appointment in the Department of Computer Science within the School of Engineering at Tufts University. His research focuses on the design, implementation, and evaluation of different educational technologies, ranging from software and hardware to interfaces and environments.


Kathryn Hobbs is a Senior Researcher at TERC. As a former high school Biology teacher, Kathryn is interested in science inquiry and curriculum development.


Elizabeth Oshe is the Director and Senior Researcher at PERG Learning.


Tyrine is a STEM Education PhD student at Tufts University and a Graduate Research Assistant at the Tufts University Center for Engineering Education and Outreach (CEEO).


Gillian Puttick, Ph.D. is a senior scientist at TERC. Her research focuses on designing, developing and testing inquiry-based curriculum, programs and activities for students and teachers that introduce fresh scientific discoveries to the classroom.


Kristen Wendell, Ph.D. is an associate professor in mechanical engineering and education at Tufts University. Her research focuses on supporting productive and equitable classroom discourse in engineering learning experiences in K-12, undergraduate, and teacher education contexts.


Geling (Jazz) Xu is a STEM education PhD student. She is interested in K-12 technology and engineering education, robotics, MakerSpace, making and learning, curriculum, and teachers’ PD design.