Bio/Personal Statement

Laura Rodriguez is an assistant professor of science education at Eastern Connecticut State University. Her journey in education began as a Peace Corps volunteer in Ecuador, South America where she realized the impact that education can have on people’s lives. Her K-12 teaching career spanned more than 20 years teaching grades four to ten in four states although the majority of her time was devoted to middle school science. In her teaching career, she developed integrated STEM project-based learning units, which were aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards, math, and English common core standards. She received her Ph.D. in secondary science education from the University of Connecticut in May of 2020 after working as a graduate research assistant on a study funded by the National Science Foundation titled: Promoting lifelong STEM learning through a focus on geospatial technology and community engagement. A lifelong STEM learner herself, her research focus is on the development of a disciplinary identity as a STEM learner throughout the lifespan.

Professional Interests

STEM Identity Informal STEM learning K-12 engineering education Environmental education

Publications, Awards, and Other Highlights

• Rodriguez, L., Campbell, T., Moss, D. M., & Volin, J., (2022) Authoring STEM identities through intergenerational collaborative partnerships. International Journal of Science Education Part B: Communication and Public Engagement • Rodriguez, L., Campbell, T., Volin, J., Moss, D. M., Arnold, C., Cisneros, L., Chadwick, C., & Dickson, D. (2021) Assessing STEM identities in Intergenerational Informal STEM Programming. Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education. • Campbell, T., Rodriguez, L., Moss, D.M., Volin, J., Arnold, C., Cisneros, L.M., Chadwick, C., Dickson, D., Rubenstein, J.M. & Abebe, B. (2021) Intergenerational community conservation projects, STEM identity authoring, and positioning: The cases of two intergenerational teams. International Journal of Science Education. • Park, B-Y., Campbell, T., Kelly, M., Gray, R., Arnold, C., Chadwick, C., Cisneros, L. M., Dickson, D., Moss, D., Rodriguez, L., Volin, J. C., & Willig, M. R. (2021) Improving NGSS Focused Model-Based Learning Curriculum through the Examination of Students’ Experiences and Iterated Models. Research in Science & Technological Education DOI: 10.1080/02635143.2021.1978962 • Cisneros, L., Simmons, J., Campbell, T., Freidenfelds, N., Arnold, C., Chadwick, C., Dickson, D., Moss, D., Rodriguez, L. & Volin, J. (2021). Program Design Principles to Support Teen-Adult Community Conservation Efforts. Frontiers in Education. 9(674667) • Rodriguez, Laura, "STEM Identity Authoring: Intergenerational Collaborative Learning in Informal STEM Programs" (2020). Doctoral Dissertations. 2534. https://opencommons.uconn.edu/dissertations/2534 • Freidenfields, N., Cisneros, L. Rodriguez L. et al. (2020). Investigating Human Impact on Local Water Resources and Exploring Solutions. American Biology Teacher 82(9) 619 - 623. • Luehmann, A., Zhang, Y., Boyle, H., Campbell, T., Rodriguez, L., & Lundgren, L., (2020) Mentoring core practices. Invited chapter in D. Stroupe, Hammerness, K., McDonald, S. (Eds.), Preparing Science Teachers through Practice-Based Teacher Education. Boston, MA: Harvard Press • Rodriguez, L. S., Morzillo, A., Volin, J. C., & Campbell, T. (2020) Conservation science and technology identity instrument: Empirically measuring STEM identities in informal science learning programs. School Science and Mathematics, 120 (4), 244- 257. https://doi.org/10.1111/ssm.12401 • Park, B., Rodriguez, L., Campbell, T. (2019) Using models to teach science? The Science Teacher. Nov 2019. • Campbell, T., McKenna, T. J., An, J., Rodriguez, L. (2019) A responsive methodological construct for supporting learners’ developing modeling competence in modeling-based learning environments. Invited chapter in D. Krüger, J. van Driel, & A. Belzen (Eds.), Towards a Framework for Model Competence in Science Education. Switzerland: Springer International Publishing. • Rodriguez, L. (2018) From interest to identity: Creating and nurturing STEM kids in middle school, Science Scope. 4(3), 79-85. • Chadwick, C., Dickson, D., Arnold, C., Cisneros, L., Volin, J., Campbell, T., Moss, D., Rodriguez, L. (2018) Intergenerational STEM learning: Connecting generations through informal geospatial and conservation education. Journal of Extension 56(5). • Ross, D., Campbell, T., McKenna, T. J., Schilling, V., Rodriguez, L., & UConn Mentor Teacher (2018) Collaborative. Supporting pre-service teachers with task-based instruction. STEM Teaching Tools. http://stemteachingtools.org/brief/52 • Rodriguez, L. (2010) Hunting for caterpillars: Investigations in the natural world and the laboratory. Connecticut Journal of Science Education. Spring/Summer Edition.