Karen High
Dr. Karen High is the founder of the Clemson SFDC. She holds an academic appointment in the Engineering Science and Education department and joint appointments in the Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering department as well as the Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences department. Prior to this Karen was at Oklahoma State University where she was a professor for 24 years and served as the Director of Student Services as well as the Women in Engineering Coordinator. She received her B.S. in chemical engineering from University of Michigan in 1985 and she received her M.S. in 1988 and her Ph.D. in 1991 in chemical engineering both from Pennsylvania State University. Dr. High’s educational emphasis includes STEM faculty development, critical thinking, enhancing mathematics, engineering entrepreneurship in education, communication skills, K-12 engineering education, and promoting women in engineering.
Cindy Lee
Dr. Cindy M. Lee is chair of the Engineering and Science Education department and a professor in Environmental Engineering and Earth Science. She is a co-founder of the STEM Faculty Development Collaboratory and has been involved in preparing future faculty her whole career. A holistic view of STEM faculty life is a passion. She received a BA in English from Indiana University, a BA in Chemistry/Geology Distributed Studies from the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, and a PhD in Geochemistry from Colorado School of Mines. Her education research interests are in STEM graduate education, faculty development, and sustainability education.
Sandy Linder
Sandra M. Linder is an Associate Professor of Early Childhood Mathematics Education in the Eugene T. Moore College of Education at Clemson University. Her research centers on improving teacher quality in mathematics through professional development. She has taught in third through fifth grade settings and has worked intensively with in-service and pre-service mathematics educators from preschool through fifth grade.
Dr. Linder is a co-author of multiple preschool, prekindergarten, and K-5 mathematics curricula. She has also worked to implement professional development models for preschool, prekindergarten, and K-5 teachers across the United States.
In addition to her work in curriculum, Dr. Linder has multiple national publications relating to early childhood and elementary mathematics motivation and achievement, preservice and inservice teacher quality and professional development, cross-curricular and technology integration in mathematics, and teacher beliefs related to mathematics pedagogy.
Supporting Leaders
Shannon K. Stefl
Shannon K. Stefl is a Ph.D. candidate and research assistant in the Department of Engineering and Science Education at Clemson University. She received her M.S. degree in physics from Clemson University, and B.S. degree in physics from Kent State University. Her research interests center on cultivating cultures of inclusion within science and engineering education; promoting inclusive and equitable research, instruction, and practice within STEM education; and promoting holistic wellness and well-being for STEM faculty. Her doctoral work blends her passion for equity, diversity, and inclusion through exploring the personal and professional well-being of women faculty in engineering.
Taimi Olsen
Dr. Taimi Olsen is the director of the Office of Teaching Effectiveness and Innovation (OTEI) at Clemson University. She has a doctorate in American Literature from UNC-Chapel Hill (1997). Most recently, Olsen was the director of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville’s Teaching and Learning Center (formerly TennTLC). She joined UT in 2009 as the center’s assistant director, after teaching at the college level for twenty years. During her tenure at UT, Dr. Olsen ran annual institutes for new faculty, course development and writing retreats, teaching conferences, and oversaw the addition of graduate teacher training through a membership with the Center for Integration of Research, Teaching and Learning (CIRTL). Her goals at Clemson are to support ClemsonFoward and the teaching mission of the university, working within the Division of Undergraduate Studies.
Claire Dancz
Claire L. A. Dancz is a Research Associate for Education Systems at Watt Family Innovation Center and Adjunct Faculty in the Department of Engineering and Science Education at Clemson University. Dr. Dancz’s research interests include creativity in engineering, technology-rich learning environments, STEM faculty development, team formation with conation, and sustainable civil engineering. She received a B.S. in Environmental Microbiology/Biology from Michigan State University, M.S. in Civil Engineering from University of Pittsburgh, and Ph.D. in Sustainable Engineering from Arizona State University. She serves as external evaluator on engineering and science education research projects, corresponding member of the Formal Engineering Education Subcommittee to the Committee on Sustainability at the American Society for Civil Engineering, teaches an interdisciplinary Creative Inquiry course on Conation and Creativity in Engineering, and is the director for NAE Grand Challenge Scholars Program at Clemson. Dr. Dancz has been a Kolbe™ Certified Consultant since 2013 and consults on conation and team formation.
Past Contributors
Video Production Team
- Jason Tedstone
- Matthew Wieters
Clemson Student Affairs Team
- Kimbell Dobbins
- Nicholas Sydow
- Anna Claire Dodd
- Taylor Hanley
STEM Faculty Development Collaboratory 