Meet Our Staff
The Center for Excellence in STEM Education
Director
Dr. John Karsnitz, Professor and Chair of Technology Studies Department
Dr. Karsnitz is Professor and Chair of the Department of Technological Studies. Under his leadership, the Department led the effort to create a new integrated M/S/T major, which was approved by the New Jersey President’s Council in 1998 and NJDOE as a second major for education students in 2000. The new major emphasizes the technological and engineering design within the STEM paradigm. Bringing together expertise from the School of Engineering and School of Education, the Department is promoting the major as a national model for STEM education. The major has grown to over 130 students. The Department also created one of the first technology education programs in the nation with an engineering focus and has signed a pre-service Affiliate Agreement with Project Lead The Way® to pre-certify PLTW teachers. PLTW is highly recognized for its national Gateway® middle school and Pathways to Engineering® high school pre-engineering curriculum.
Dr. Karsnitz received a B.S. and M.Ed. from Millersville University and his Ph.D. from The Ohio State University. He is a member of the International Technology Education Association (ITEA), and the Council on Technology Teacher Education (CTTE), in which he has chaired two task force committees, as well as served on several standing committees. He is a member of the New Jersey Technology Education Association (NJTEA) serving as the TCNJ College Representative and a member of the New Jersey Engineering Education Council (NJEEC). Dr. Karsnitz regularly presents to state, regional, and local groups concerning technological literacy issues and principles. On campus he is a member of the Faculty Senate, serving as Senate Parliamentarian and a member of the Senate Executive Committee. Dr Karsnitz is also a member of the TCNJ Academic Leaders, and he chaired the committee to write the new College-Wide Governance System (2000). He was the elected Faculty Representative to the TCNJ Board of Trustees (2001-2005), and has also served as a member of the college committee that organized a new general education core interdisciplinary course titled Society, Ethics, and Technology (1990).
His most recent book, Engineering Design: An Introduction (2009, Delmar-Cengage Learning) was co-authored with Dr. Steve O’Brien and Dr. John Hutchinson. Dr. Karsnitz has also authored four other books, Design & Problem Solving in Technology, co-authored with Dr. John Hutchinson (1993, Delmar Learning); Society, Ethics, and Technology: Selected Readings (1993, Morton E. Winston, John R. Karsnitz, Charles H. Goldberg-Editors, Kendall Hunt Publishing Company); Graphic Communication Technology (1992, Delmar Publishing, Inc.); and Graphic Arts Technology (1984, Delmar Publishing, Inc.).
Dr. Karsnitz’s teaching interests include ETE 261/Multimedia Design, ETE 361/Architectural and Civil Engineering Design, ETE 365/Prototyping Laboratory, and TED 280/Introduction to Teaching Technology Education. His research interests include: Technological literacy in general education, pre-engineering, and STEM education.
Dr. Steve O’Brien, Assistant Professor of Technology Studies
Dr. O’Brien coordinates the electrical engineering design strand in the Technology Studies Department. He served as a Technical Manager for Lucent Technologies from 1998-2000 and co-founded T-Networks, Inc. in 2000. Most of his professional and scholarly work is in optoelectronic devices; his scholarly work includes over 40 publications and 13 patents. The Technological Studeies Department benefited greatly from Dr. O’Brien’s interest in applying his engineering/business experience to K-12 education. He has teaching experience at the high school and college level prior to joining the Department in 2006.
Dr. O’Brien received a B.S. in Mathematics/Physics from Western Washington University and an M.A. & Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Cornell University. He has been working in the area of curriculum definition and interdisciplinary work, including presentations at: the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE), National Academy of Engineering / National Research Council (NAE/NRC), New Jersey Technology Educators Association (NJTEA), and Association for General & Liberal Studies (AGLS). He plans to focus his research in characterization of the efficacy of TCNJ’s unique Elementary Education M/S/T (Math/Science/Technology) program, “STEM” in general and work in (interdisciplinary) area of Humanities / Engineering / Technology.
Dr. O’Brien hascontributed key content in engineering design, electrical systems and math/science applications as co-author with Drs. Karsnitz and Hutchinson for Engineering Design: An Introduction (2009, Delmar-Cengage Learning) . This will be the lead book for Project Lead The Way’s (PLTWs) national curriculum on pre-engineering. PLTW has had incredible success in defining and promoting a pre-engineering curriculum for high schools. There are currently over 2000 PLTW schools in the USA.
Dr. Cathy S. Liebars, Associate Professor of Mathematics and Statistics
Dr. Cathy S. Liebars is the Mathematics Education Coordinator at TCNJ. She is responsible for staffing and scheduling all mathematics education courses and serves as a liaison between the Department of Mathematics and Statistics and the School of Education. She teaches courses for pre-service teachers in the content area of mathematics. She developed and implemented two new courses at TCNJ called Mathematical Structures and Algorithms for Educators, I and II. The courses incorporate cooperative learning, mathematical explorations, manipulatives, technology, and alternative methods of assessment.
Dr. Liebars has presented workshops in several school districts in New Jersey on a variety of topics. She has worked with middle school and elementary teachers, assisting in their implementation of reform-based mathematics programs like the Connected Math Program (CMP) and TERC Investigations in Number, Data, and Space. Dr. Liebars is co-Principal Investigator for the Teacher Quality Enhancement Recruitment Grant (US Department of Education – $3.3 million) and was co-Principal Investigator for an Improving Teacher Quality grant (New Jersey Department of Education – $750,000). As part of these grants, she has been offering a series of courses for middle school mathematics teachers and is currently teaching Math 594, Patterns and Algebra for middle school teachers, at Fisher middle school in Ewing. All of the courses she has taught for the middle school teachers have incorporated CMP and other middle school curricula in order to help teachers learn how to implement the program as well as strengthen their content knowledge.
Dr. Liebars is the President-elect of the New Jersey Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators (NJAMTE) and is former chair of the New Jersey section of the Mathematical Association of America. She serves on the New Jersey Math and Science Coalition and on the Affiliate committee for the national Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators.
Dr. Liebars holds an undergraduate degree in Mathematics and Secondary Education from Kutztown University. She obtained her M.S. and Ph.D. in Mathematics from Lehigh University.
Technology Student Association
Alison Goeke, NJ State Project Director of TSA, Director of Future Engineers of Trenton
Alison M. Goeke holds master’s degrees in Teaching Elementary Education and Educational Technology from TCNJ. She received her bachelor’s degree in Behavioral Science from Drew University.
She is also the State Director for the New Jersey Technology Student Association (NJ-TSA), the fastest growing Career and Technical Student Organization in the state. NJ-TSA is the only organization devoted exclusively to the needs of middle and high school technology education students. NJ-TSA provides conferences, field experiences, seminars, competitive events and professional development for NJ students and educators.
In spring 2007, Alison became an adjunct professor for the Department of Technological Studies at TCNJ. She has written articles for various technology education publications, conducts professional development trainings for elementary and middle school teachers and regularly presents at educational conferences in the tri-state area.
Michelle Ordini, Project Coordinator
Specializes in conducting Technology Student Association affairs.
Jeanette Alicea has provided grant financial management to the Center for Excellence in STEM Education for the past eight years. Her 12 years of grant financial management experience has assisted in maintaining the Center’s existence. Jeanette also assists our science coaches with mentoring service teachers. Her work with the Center has given her a unique insight into the importance of involving technology and technology skills in education. Through the Center, she has been fortunate enough to witness children developing problem solving skills at the earliest ages. These children gain mathematical and scientific abilities, as well as critical thinking skills in the “humanities” subjects like English, Art and Music. She believes that teaching a child problem solving skills, educating a teacher on how to embrace technology, and teaching a parent how to adapt a setting to ensure a child can succeed at home can open a child’s life exponentially.
Susan is the manager of the Future Engineers of Trenton program at the Boys & Girls Club of Trenton & Mercer County. Funded by the Martinson Family Foundation, the program provides after school and summer camp engineering activities for Trenton’s middle school students.
Coaches
Jeanne Maskell, Mathematics Coach and Adjunct Professor of Mathematics Education
Specializes in mathematics education
Jeanne Maskell conducts workshops, in-service presentations and coaching and mentoring in the Pemberton School District.
Linda Burroughs, Lead Science Coach and Assistant Professor of Science Education
Linda Burroughs has an undying passion both for doing and teaching science. She was trained as a Zoologist at Arizona State University, and certified to teach K-12 science at Lewis & Clark University in Oregon. Since then she has picked up an MEd in Science Critical Thinking at the College of New Jersey. She has taught the sciences in the departments of biology at Rider, Delaware Valley and TCNJ. When she was first teaching, it was on the Navajo Indian reservation in Arizona where she taught kindergarden, 4th grades and middle school. Since then she has expanded her knowledge of the biological sciences by doing research with companies like American Cyanimide and Mobile Research, as well as working with patients in hospitals as an operating room and lab technician. Currently she is enjoying the best of both worlds, where she can teach emerging teachers science methods at TCNJ, and also work with young students directly in their classrooms as a coach and teacher/mentor.
James Messersmith, Science Coach and Adjunct Professor of Science Education
Jim Messersmith is a veteran science teacher with over 40 years experience with a wide variety of students between the ages of 5 and 14. He focuses on teaching science as inquiry which means a problem or situation has to be identified, data has to be gathered, interpreted and a conclusion is reached. When additional information is possible, the conclusion may have to be changed. He now works with teachers and their students in the classroom to implement this inquiry approach. In addition, he teaches undergraduate and graduate students at TCNJ preparing to enter the teaching profession. A major goal is to help in-service teachers who want to change or improve their skills. Another goal is to help future teachers understand that teaching science also strengthens mathematical and language arts skills because science concepts have applications to daily living and world issues.
Professors
Dr. Ursula Wolz, TCNJ Associate Professor of Computer Science and Interactive Multimedia
Dr. Ursula Wolz is the Principal Investigator for the Microsoft Research project on Multidisciplinary Game Development and the Principal Investigator for the Broadening Participation in Computing via Interactive Journalism for Middle Schoolers National Science Foundation (NSF) grant program. She is a recognized Computer Science Educator with a broad range of publications who has taught a diverse range of students, including disabled children, urban teachers, and elite undergraduates.
Monisha Pulimood, TCNJ Assistant Professor of Computer Science
Monisha Pulimood is a database and grid computing expert and a collaborator on the “Unbound Collaborative Content Manager” project, and the co-PI of the Broadening Participation in Computing via Interactive Journalism for Middle Schoolers NSF grant program. She is establishing herself in the computer science education community through publications on undergraduate research, project management, and diversity.
Kim Pearson, TCNJ Associate Professor of English and Interactive Multimedia
Kim Pearson is a recognized web-journalist and collaborator on both the “Unbound Collaborative Content Manager” project and Microsoft Games project, and the co-PI of the Broadening Participation in Computing via Interactive Journalism for Middle Schoolers NSF grant program. She has experience mentoring journalism students, professionals, and educators from diverse backgrounds through her activities as member of the National Association of Black Journalists, where she serves on the Digital Journalism Task Force.
James Beyers, Assistant Professor of Mathematics Education
James Beyers earned a B.S. in Pure Mathematics from Towson University. James continued on to graduate school earning his M.Ed. and Ph.D. at the University of Delaware, specializing in Mathematics Education. James has taught mathematics content in non-traditional pre-K through grade 12 settings, as well as at the post-secondary level prior to beginning his appointment in the Early Childhood and Elementary Education department as an assistant professor of mathematics education. Here at TCNJ, James teaches mathematics methods courses for elementary teacher candidates.
James’s research interests involve the clarification and investigation of students’ dispositions with respect to mathematics. In particular, he is interested in explicating the nature of teacher candidates’ dispositions with respect to mathematics and how those dispositions are related to their learning of mathematics.
James has written, presented, and reviewed many manuscripts for several national organizations and their associated conferences and publications. He is an avid billiards player and tremendous Orioles and Ravens fan.
Matthew Cathell, Assistant Professor of Technological Studies
Matthew David Cathell earned B.A. degrees in Chemistry and Biochemistry and minors in English and History from La Salle University in 2003. In 2008, he completed a Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering at Drexel University.
During his graduate education, Matthew was a National Science Foundation Teaching Fellow for K-12 education, a Koerner Family Fellow, and a Department of Education GAANN Fellow.
Matthew has authored, presented and reviewed manuscripts on both experimental and educational research. He is a member of the American Chemical Society, the American Society for Engineering Education and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, as well as the New Jersey Technology Education Association.
Gerry Telmosse, Adjunct Professor of Science Education
Professor Telmosse has been a Science Educator since 1965. He a has taught High School Biology, Chemistry and Physics, Junior High Science, and was an Elementary Science Specialist for kindergarten through fifth grade. Summers have found him working at Fairleigh Dickinson University and The Summer Institute for the Gifted at Drew University among others. He has also taught Science in a suburb of Sydney, Australia for two academic years. He has received many grants including several BISEC Grants, a BET Grant and an Earth Watch Grant to study endangered plants in the Yucatan Peninsula.
Professor Telmosse has been a member of the test writing team for ASK 8 and End of Year Biology since their inception. He has also given workshops at the New Jersey Science Convention, The New Jersey Education Association Convention, The College of New Jersey, and many school districts throughout the state of New Jersey. Professor Telmosse is on the Executive Board of the New Jersey Science Teachers Association.
He has also written and published several novels for the adolescent reader that incorporate science, adventure, and history.
William Dilluvio, Adjunct Professor of Science Education
Bill holds a Master’s degree in Teaching Elementary Education from Seton Hall University. He received his Bachelor’s degree in Biology from Manhattan College.
Bill is a veteran teacher with over 40 years of teaching experience. This has encompassed a career of teaching biology, chemistry, physics, out-door environmental education, technology, and middle school and elementary science to students of all ages K-12. He began teaching in the inner city in the Bronx, NY before finding his way to a position in Flemington, NJ prior to teaching science methodolgy to elementary teaching candidates at TCNJ.
During his career, he has also served as a mentor for several new teachers and alternate route candidates and served as a participating teacher for numerous student teachers. Trained in Backwards Design, he was actively involved in curriculum development and piloted the integration of the use of computers into the middle school science program. He worked with the K-12 Partnership Collaboration for the Integration of Internet Based Activities Into the Curriculum at Stevens Institute of Technology.
As a science supervisor, Bill worked with middle grade and elementary school teachers assisting them in the implementation of many inquiry-based science programs, such as Intermediate Science Curriculum Study, Science as A Process Approach, and Science Curriculum Improvement Studies.
Bill is active in the local community, professional organizations and schools, and finds time to volunteer and serve as a tutor. He is looking forward to introducing his one-year old grandson to the wonders of science very soon.
Richard Tormey, Adjunct Professor of Science Education
Specializes in science education.
Eric Wasserman, Adjunct Professor of Mathematics Education
Eric is a graduate of Rutgers University and the Rutgers Graduate School of Education. He has taken additional graduate education courses at Rider, Rutgers, FDU, and TCNJ. Eric has taught high school mathematics since January, 1976, and has had great success with the AP classes at Hunterdon Central High School since 2000. He has attended College Board workshops at Drew University and Middlesex County College, and was awarded an Educator of the Year award from TCNJ in 2005. In 2006, Eric was one of five finalists for New Jersey Teacher of the Year. Eric has enjoyed his opportunity to train future teachers this fall.
Bernadette Beury, Adjunct Professor of Science Education
Specializes in science education for students who are hearing impaired.
Program Staff
Ken Maskell, Resource Coach
Specializes in K-12 educational technology and pre-engineering.
Mary Switzer, Gender Equity Coach, Family Tools and Technology Program Director, and Program Manager of Broadening in Computing IJIMS NSF Grant Program
Mary Switzer is a Gender Equity/Diversity Specialist working with educators and students K-16 in urban and suburban high needs districts over the past 19 years. She is the director of the Family Tools and Technology after-school parental involvement program, and the project manager of the Broadening Participation in Computing via Interactive Journalism for Middle Schoolers NSF grant program. She will ensure full integration of equity/diversity training into our programs.
Former Center Staff Members:
Dr. Sharon Sherman, Professor of Elementary and Early Childhood Education
Former Managing Director of the Center, Science Education
Dr. Sharon J. Sherman is Professor and Former Chair of the Department of Elementary and Early Childhood Education at The College of New Jersey. She teaches mathematics and science methods courses in both the graduate and undergraduate programs. Her areas of specialization are teacher recruitment, especially for high-need schools and shortage areas, and science and mathematics pedagogy.
She is principal investigator of the Teacher Quality Enhancement Recruitment Grant (US Department of Education – $3.3 million). She was principal investigator of the Teachers as Leaders and Learners Grant (New Jersey Department of Education – $750,000), Center for Inquiry and Design-Based Learning in Mathematics, Science & Technology Education grant (U.S. Department of Education – $750,000) and was co-director of the Mid-Atlantic Laboratory for Student Success Professional Development School grant (U.S. Department of Education) at The College of New Jersey. She has directed several Goals 2000 grants at TCNJ. Before coming to TCNJ in 1995, she was Senior Program Leader for Science Education at Princeton University’s Plasma Physics Laboratory. She is former director of the New Jersey Academy of Science Junior Division. In this role, she led the statewide effort to engage high school students in scientific research in partnership with mentors from the science community.
Dr. Sherman is author of Science and Science Teaching: Science Is Something You Can Do! (Houghton Mifflin, 2000) and Science and Science Teaching: Methods for Integrating Technology in Elementary and Middle Schools (Houghton Mifflin, 2004). Her other publications include Health Science Chemistry: An Introduction to General, Organic and Biochemistry (Thompson, 2008), Laboratory Manual for Health Science Chemistry (Thompson, 2007), Essential Concepts of Chemistry (Houghton Mifflin, 1999, 2006), Conceptos Basicos de Quemica (CECSA, 1999), Basic Concepts of Chemistry 6th Edition (Houghton Mifflin, 1996), Chemistry and Our Changing World 3rd Edition (Prentice Hall, 1992), and The Elements of Life (Prentice Hall, 1989). She is also one of the primary authors of the analysis of New Jersey’s Alternate Route to Teaching. Dr. Sherman has written numerous journal articles and presents regularly at conferences. She has taught middle school science as well as chemistry, biology, and environmental science at the secondary and college levels. Dr. Sherman is active among the science and business communities, professional organizations, schools, and higher education. In 2003, she was appointed to co-chair a statewide task force on teacher recruitment and retention at the request of the NJ Department of Education. She is a member of the executive board of the New Jersey Mathematics and Science Education Coalition and is currently serving as part of the team that is revising the New Jersey Core Curriculum Science Standards. Under Dr. Sherman’s leadership, high quality professional development in science has become an integral part of several schools in Trenton.
Laurence Fieber, Urban Teacher Academy Coordinator
Larry Fieber specializes in recruiting teachers for high need schools. His goals are to enhance the academic and social needs of underserved students at TCNJ and to close the achievement gap between disaggregated societal groups of students. He focuses on the preparation and recruitment of teachers and administrators, particularly for urban schools, while promoting innovative and exemplary service projects and opportunities for students.
Rita Patel Eng, Project Coordinator, New Jersey Statewide Systemic Initiative, Science Coach and Resource Development in Math, Educational Technology and Pre-Engineering
Rita Patel Eng has a background in Science, Education and Technology. She loves working with kids, young and old, to help facilitate ‘ah-ha’ moments through self discovery. She graduated from SUNY at Stony Brook with a Bachelor of Science in Biology along with a minor in Secondary Science Education. She also holds a Master of Science in Technological Systems Management, specializing in the integration of Computers in Education. She has worked with children in grades 4-6, taught outdoor environmental education to 4-6th graders, taught 7-9th grade science, and taught Educational Technology to 9-11th graders.
Rita got firsthand experience in curriculum development in graduate school when she worked with BSCS to help field test, coordinate teacher training, and offer revision recommendations to the first edition of the middle school Science and Technology series. She has also worked in Publishing for Scholastic’s SuperScience Blue magazine for grades 4-6, where she developed, tested, and wrote hands-on activities using economical and easy‑to‑find materials.
Rita has worked at TCNJ for the past 15 years coordinating administrative aspects of professional development based on the needs of school districts and schools in NJ through various grants, including: providing assistance to district planning teams in formulating strategic plans for math and science curriculum frameworks, and coordinating the adoption of Reform Math and Science curricula. Rita also works as a workshop facilitator in science, technology and pre-engineering through our center and occasionally assists as a special guest in our science methods and math methods classes.
