The Center for Inquiry Science is comprised of a small group of experienced science educators:

Dana Riley Black
Center for Inquiry Science Director

Contact Information:
Phone: 206-732-1394
Email:dblack@systemsbiology.org

Since 2005, Riley Black has held the appointment of Director for the Center for Inquiry Science at the Institute for Systems Biology. Riley Black is an educator whose interests include professional development for teachers and administrators as applied to systemic science education reform, and correspondingly, strategies that enable the scientific community to engage with and support K-12 science education. Through securing and managing grants from federal, state and corporate organizations, she currently partners with and supports school districts across the Puget Sound region in their efforts to implement research-based science education reform.

Riley Black has a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Washington and a M.Ed. in Science Education and a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Curriculum Studies from Miami University. Through graduate school she worked for the Principal Investigator of Ohio´s NSF-funded Statewide Systemic Initiative, Project Discovery – a systemic initiative supporting middle school mathematics and science teachers across the state of Ohio. During her post-graduate appointment at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Riley Black developed physical science curriculum and televised professional development experiences for teachers of mathematics and science. Before joining the Institute for Systems Biology, she worked for five years at the University of Washington, establishing its K-12 Institute for Mathematics and Science Education – this work served to coordinate the university´s Mathematics and Science outreach efforts with regional systemic reform efforts.

Contact Information:
Phone: 206-732-1450
Email:pehrman@systemsbiology.org

Pat is an accomplished science teacher of 30 years who augmented his classroom teaching by contributing to published curriculum projects, residency in laboratories, serving on national boards, and continually sharing his expertise through local, state, and national presentations. Through this work, Pat received several awards, most notably the Presidential Award for Excellence in Education, the NABT Molecular Biology Teacher Award, and the NSTA Shell Science Teaching Award. In 1999, when retiring from teaching at S.C. Davis High School, Pat was recruited to join the education group in the University of Washington´s Department of Molecular Biotechnology to spearhead the vision of working systemically with regional high schools. Pat moved with the other education group members to ISB in January of 2003.

Pat has a Masters Degree in Educational Administration from Central Washington University.

Caroline Kiehle
Associate Director of Professional Development

Contact Information:
Phone: 206-732-1458
Email:ckiehle@systemsbiology.org

Caroline Kiehle has merged her expertise in science research and education to become a regional and national leader in science education reform. She is currently directing several projects in the Center for Inquiry Science that focus on the professional development of science teachers along a continuum:

1. The "Observing for Evidence of Learning" research project, a Teacher Professional Continuum program supported by the National Science Foundation, the Institute for Systems Biology, RMC Research Corporation, and four Seattle area school districts.
2. A series of workshops, at three levels, to help school districts implement their inquiry science instructional materials and carry out their LASER strategic plans.

From 1997 — 2004 Caroline was the leader of a National Science Foundation Local Systemic Change project, supporting five school districts to renew their middle school science program. While teaching in the 1990´s, Caroline was recognized as Washington State Science Teacher of the Year and was a regional finalist for the Presidential Award. She began her career as a research technologist and has been finding ways to bring science research skills into classrooms ever since. Caroline has a Masters in Education degree from the University of Washington and a Teaching Certificate in secondary mathematics and science for the state of Washington.

B Lippitt
Professional Development Facilitator

Contact Information:
Phone: 206-732-1455
Email:wlippitt@systemsbiology.org

B is an extremely experienced science teacher having taught grades 2 though 12 since entering the teaching profession in 1974. For twenty of these years, B enjoyed being a Physics teacher, most of which was at Franklin High School in Seattle. Recently retiring from teaching, B is the staff member with the most direct ties to classroom practice – a perspective that the Center for Inquiry Science staff find invaluable. B completed his B.S. and Masters work at Duke University in Durham, N.C.

Valerie Logan
Community Liaison

Contact Information:
Phone: 206-732-1251
Email:vlogan@systemsbiology.org

Valerie has been instrumental in the underlying success of the educational programs in the Department of Molecular Biotechnology and the Institute for Systems Biology. From identifying the initial NSF request for proposal that lead to our regions´ local systemic change initiatives, and leading fundraising efforts contributing upwards of $10 million to the programs, Valerie's interactions with community stakeholders have been invaluable to the programs. Valerie continues to be a leader in the Center for Inquiry Science´s fundraising efforts and in establishing an Advisory Board.

Valerie has a B.A. from Whitman College and a Master´s Degree from George Washington University.

Kim Klinke
Program Manager for the North Sound LASER Alliance

Contact Information: 206-732-1456
Email:kklinke@systemsbiology.org

Kim has worked as an advocate for inquiry-based science teaching and learning for nearly two decades. She began her career as a classroom science teacher in Bellevue Public Schools. While teaching, she worked with the University of Washington´s department of Molecular Biotechnology to co-develop a teacher institute that provided foundation and vision for the NSF-funded Middle School Science Systemic Change Partnership. Since 1996, Kim has disseminating teaching tools for inquiry science developed in this program though regional and national professional development experiences. Kim is the recipient of the 1991 Regional Science Teacher of the Year award from the Washington Science Teachers´ Association and was a state finalist for the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science Teaching in 1994.

Jen Eklund
Program Coordinator

Contact Information: 206-732-2123
Email:jeklund@systemsbiology.org

Jen possesses a breadth of experiences that support her desire and ability to develop innovative strategies for engaging scientists and teachers in the pursuit of effective science education. In 2005, Jen earned her Ph.D. in Genetics from the Department of Genome Sciences at the University of Washington. She subsequently accepted a post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Michigan´s School of Education. During her fellowship, she engaged in two curriculum development projects – Jen managed the development of a three-year middle school science curriculum in collaboration with a diverse group of educators from across the country, as well, she co-authored a molecular genetics unit for high school classrooms, and oversaw the implementation of the materials in high schools throughout Detroit and Flint, Michigan.

Additionally as a post-doctoral fellow, Jen began pursuing research in biology education. Her specific research interest focuses on developing understanding of how students make sense of genetics in the science classroom, and then how they reconcile such understanding with "real world" texts and experiences. Prior to joining the Center for Inquiry Science in 2011, Jen served as a Visiting Assistant Professor for a year at Western State College of Colorado.

Sarah Rambeau
Program Assistant

Contact Information: 206-732-1363
Email:srambeau@systemsbiology.org

Over the past several years, while working with special needs children, Sarah has fostered a strong interest in education. She worked with elementary-aged children for two years as a counselor at the Ryther Child Center, helping to develop educational activities in science and other disciplines. In addition to her current work with the Center for Inquiry Science, Sarah continues to work in the field of special needs, with a focus on children with autism. Sarah obtained her Bachelor of Science degree in Anthropological Sciences from the Ohio State University in 2008 and has aspirations of obtaining her mater´s degree in science education in the coming years.