Renner Science Center

Tiffany Neill is the deputy superintendent of curriculum and instruction for the Oklahoma State Department of Education and the past-president for the Council of State Science Supervisors, serving as president from 2017-2019.

In her role at the Oklahoma State Department of Education, she works to support districts and educators in aligning their curriculum and instruction to standards and supports curriculum directors and specialist in similar efforts with various disciplines. She oversees both Title II and Title IV state activity funds, implements various state and federal policies and serves as the project manager for several USDE grants. In her eight years of service at the Oklahoma State Department of Education she served as the director of science and engineering education for six years and oversaw two science standards review and revision processes.

She served on the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine consensus committee that authored the report, Changing Expectations for the K-12 Teacher Workforce: Policies, Preservice Education, Professional Development, and the Workplace (2020) and currently serves on a consensus committee report focused on enhancing science in prekindergarten through fifth grade. She also serves as a Co-Pi on the National Science Foundation grant, ACESSE which focuses on enhancing equity and coherence in science education.

Ms.Neill taught middle school and high school science in Vinita, Oklahoma and served as a graduate research assistant at the University of Oklahoma’s K20 Center for Education and Community Renewal. She also taught elementary science methods courses for the University of Oklahoma. She has completed the graduate courses required for a doctoral degree in science curriculum and instruction a and is currently completing a dissertation focused on STEM integration.

Heather Shaffery is a science education doctoral student and teaches as an adjunct instructor in the ILAC program in the Jeannine Rainbolt College of Education at the University of Oklahoma. Heather received her M.S. in ecology and evolution at the University of Pittsburgh, during which time she taught undergraduates in Department of Biological Sciences through a teaching fellowship. After completing her degree, Heather moved to Oklahoma to teach middle school science in Oklahoma City Public Schools.

Heather currently provides professional development and one-on-one instructional coaching with pre- and in-service teachers across the state of Oklahoma as a science curriculum specialist for the K20 Center at OU. In this capacity, Heather emphasizes the development of teacher efficacy for three-dimensional instruction and meaningful student discourse. Her doctoral research focuses on how teachers’ complex personal identities influence instructional decisions in their science classrooms.

kristen shelton is a Ph.D. candidate in Instructional Leadership and Academic Curriculum in Science Education in the Jeannine Rainbolt College of Education (JRCoE) at the University of Oklahoma. shelton received both their B.S. and M.S. from OU, where they conducted research on enzyme activity and transcription regulation, respectively.

shelton works as an instructor at OU teaching various courses in the biology department, the microbiology and plant biology department, as well as in JRCoE. They are also a lab technician in the Wastewater Based Epidemiology lab at OU where they contribute to monitoring wastewater from around the state of Oklahoma for SARS-CoV-2 and other pathogens. Their research interests involve equity, inclusion and accessibility in science curricula, academia, and industry. Their primary focus is examining the roles that representation and equitable support play in making space for and contributing to retention of historically underrepresented groups within the sciences.

shelton believes that the advancement of science is promoted through collaboration, cooperation, and critical thinking, specifically by incorporating values such as the inclusion of all people, their unique perspectives, and diverse contributions.

Website: kristensheton.oucreate.com

Mariah Warren is a doctoral student in Instructional Leadership and Academic Curriculum for science education in the Jeannine Rainbolt College of Education at the University of Oklahoma. Her research focuses on the implementation of STEM education initiatives. In 2012, Mariah obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology for Secondary Education from the University of West Georgia. In 2019, she received a master’s degree in Teaching Learning and Advocacy with an emphasis in Curriculum and Instruction from the College of Charleston. 

Mariah currently serves as the K20 Center’s GEAR UP for the FUTURE Professional Development Coordinator. In this role, Mariah creates and facilitates authentic learning experiences through various methods of professional development for the cohort’s educators. She also serves as the co-chair for the K20 Center's annual professional development conference, Innovative Learning Institute, and is a member of the Professionals Learning Committee. As a classroom teacher, she taught high school Biology, Human Anatomy, Environmental Science, and Algebra I in Charleston, South Carolina.

Mackenzie Flynn received her Bachelor of Science in Geology with a minor in Classics and Ancient Mediterranean Studies from Bucknell University in January 2022. She is currently pursuing dual Masters degrees at the University of Oklahoma: a Master of Science in Geology with the Mewbourne College of Earth and Energy as well as a Master of Education in Science Education as a part of the ILAC program in the Jeannine Rainbolt College of Education.

She is currently working as a graduate teaching assistant in geosciences and as a graduate research assistant with Dr. Kelly Feille. Her research is focused on developing accessible climate science and climate change curriculum for middle-high school courses. Mackenzie plans on going into environmental consulting but hopes to eventually work as a curator for STEM-oriented museums.

Lisa has worked as the Public Programs Coordinator for over a year at the Sam Noble Museum of Natural History in Norman, OK. This includes all front facing monthly Curiousidays that now present bilingual content, bi-annual and annual online and in-person programs as well as weekly Crafts and Tales.

She has served on the DEI committee as well as several hiring committees for the museum during her time there. She has also taken on the role of doing live interviews for TV appearances in both Spanish and English to promote special programming. Creating cultural ties in the community is her passion as well as striving to make informal science educational programming more inclusive and accessible. Currently, she is in her last semester of her non-thesis project which centers around writing a grant for programming to support LatinX youth in natural history.

Fabián Sánchez started his master's degree in Science Education at the Jeannine Rainbolt School of Education in the fall of 2022. He graduated as an Electrical Engineer from the National University of Colombia in Bogota-Colombia. In addition to working in electromagnetic field simulation, Mr. Sánchez has worked in conjunction with the Engineering Department of the National University of Colombia and the Colombian Ministry of Education, supporting projects that improve education in Colombia. He currently works at the Gallogly College of Engineering at the University of Oklahoma, supporting programs that encourage K-12 students to study engineering.

Jacob Pleasants
Assistant Professor

Department: Instructional Leadership and Academic Curriculum
Program Area: Science Education
Email: jacob.pleasants@ou.edu
Phone: (405) 325-1498
Office: Collings Hall 121

Jacob Pleasants Bio