Nsec 2017 National Conference

NSEC 2017 National Conference 

 

Bio of Speakers 

 

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NSEC Speaker Bios 

Deborah Carlisle, STEM Education Post-Doctoral Research Associate, University of Massachusetts  

Deborah Carlisle is a STEM Education Post-Doctoral Research 

Associate in the Institute for Teaching Excellence and Faculty 

Development (TEFD) at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. 

Deborah’s research for the NSEC community currently includes site 

visits to a wide variety of centers to gain a deeper understanding of 

the existing structures and functions, allowing for contextualized 

descriptions of the contrasting areas in which they are all engaged 

on their local campuses. This research serves to illuminate the roles 

and needs of these centers, such that a network of centers, NSEC, 

can effectively support their work. Deborah received her doctorate 

in Teacher Education and Curriculum Studies, with emphasis in 

STEM Education, in 2014 from UMass Amherst, and her M.S. in 

Biochemistry and Biological Science from the University of New Hampshire. Deborah has both secondary 

and post-secondary experience as a faculty member in chemistry at Phillips Academy in Andover M.A. 

and Keene State College, in Keene N.H. Deborah’s research publications are in the areas of: STEM 

education transformation, the development of three-dimensional spatial reasoning skills in chemistry, 

and promoting the use of technology in STEM classrooms. She is also the co-author of A Natural 

Approach to Chemistry, a successful inquiry-based chemistry program. 

Angela Bell, Associate Vice Chancellor, University System of Georgia 

Angela Bell is the Associate Vice Chancellor for Research and Policy 

Analysis of the University System of Georgia.  Her division is 

responsible for meeting the information needs of the University 

System ranging from overseeing collection of campus data, 

responding to internal and external data requests, and conducting 

research and analysis to guide planning, policy, and decision 

making.  A key responsibility is harnessing the system’s vast data 

holdings into actionable information for campus and system 

leadership. Her research interests include student access to and 

success in postsecondary education, especially financial aid policy 

and impacts. Before coming to the USG, Angela worked at the West 

Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission as the Vice Chancellor 

of Policy and Planning. She is a Fellow at the Institute of Higher 

Education at the University of Georgia and serves on the editorial 

board of the Journal of Student Financial Aid. She earned her Ph.D. 

in Higher Education Administration and M.Ed. in Language Education at the University of Georgia and 

her B.A. in Classics at Princeton University. 

 

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NSEC 2017 National Conference 

 

Bio of Speakers 

 

9 | 

P a g e

 

 

Noah Finkelstein, Professor, Department of Physics & Co-Director Center for STEM Learning, CU-

Boulder; Co-Director Network of STEM Education Centers 

Noah Finkelstein is a Professor of Physics at the University of Colorado 

Boulder and conducts research in physics education, which has resulted 

in over 120 publications. He serves as a PI of the Physics Education 

Research (PER) group at Colorado and is also a co-Director of the 

national-scale Center for STEM Learning on campus, which has become 

one of eight national demonstration sites for the Association of American 

Universities’ (AAU) STEM Education Initiative. Finkelstein is also co-

director of the Network of STEM Education Centers (NSEC), an 

organization of campus-based centers that serve as catalysts for 

educational transformation in STEM. He is increasingly involved in 

education policy. In 2010, he testified before the US Congress on the 

state of STEM education at the undergraduate and graduate levels. He 

currently serves as a Council member for the American Physical Society, a Trustee the Higher Learning 

Commission, a Technical Advisor to the AAU, and collaborator with the Association of Public and Land-

grant Universities’ efforts in STEM education. He is a Fellow of the American Physical Society, and a 

Presidential Teaching Scholar and the inaugural Timmerhaus Teaching Ambassador for the University of 

Colorado system. 

 

Edward J. Ray, President of Oregon State University 

Since becoming Oregon State University’s 14th president in 2003, Dr. 

Edward J. Ray has led a remarkable transformation. During his 13-year 

tenure, Oregon State has become an internationally recognized public 

research university and has continued to expand the excellence, scope 

and impact of its academic, research and outreach services. Under his 

leadership, OSU completed its first major capital campaign, which 

raised $1.14 billion and included contributions from more than 

106,000 donors. The Campaign for OSU helped to build or renovate 28 

OSU buildings, endow 79 new faculty positions; and create more than 

600 new scholarship and fellowship funds for 3,200 students. President 

Ray came to OSU from Ohio State University, where he had served as 

executive vice president and provost since 1998 and was a member of 

the economics faculty for more than 30 years. He received his 

bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Queens College in New York 

City in 1966 and a master’s and Ph.D. in economics from Stanford University in 1969 and 1971, 

respectively. 

 

 

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