WWU students present research at annual Washington Science Teachers Association conference
Six WWU students attended and presented their research at the Washington Science Teachers Association on October 25, in Tacoma.
The Science, Math and Technology Education (SMATE) students attended the conference alongside SMATE and Elementary Education Professor Debi Hanuscin, who was recognized with the Excellence in Science Teaching Award at the conference. Hanuscin was previously awarded the 2025 WWU Excellence in Teaching Award.
The six students — Samantha Gerschwiler, Aidan Conner, Grace Blanning, Corin Yates, Kat Shoemaker and Emma Johnson — had the opportunity to attend professional development workshops, network with teachers and administrators and hear a keynote address by educational consultant Paul Anderson in addition to presenting their research.
Elementary education senior Gerschwiler led the session, “Beyond the Lab Coat: Reclaiming Science as a Creative Endeavor,” based on her Honors project. The session focused on how science is creative, the flaws of traditional science teaching and strategies to portray the creative side of science to students so that they become more engaged with the subject. It also included time for the participants to brainstorm how to use the strategies in their own classrooms.
“The opportunity to present meant a welcome to the teaching community! I felt very supported throughout the conference, and it was an honor to know that I was trusted enough to present,” Gerschwiler said. “I now have more confidence in my pedagogical knowledge and feel a stronger sense of belonging within the wider teaching community.”
General science – education senior Conner presented a poster about his research on principal decision-making about grade level (re)assignment of elementary teachers, a project that was funded by the Arlan and Diane Norman Summer Research Award. His research showed that principals could use a strategy known as looping to move teachers to a new grade level through a grade-level team, which gives the teachers a illusion of agency.
Finally, Blanning, Yates and Shoemaker presented a poster sharing insights about engaging elementary students in engineering, based on their participation in the Culturally Responsible Elementary Science Teaching (CREST) program, which was funded by a National Science Foundation grant. The team taught the Ocean Tech unit from Explore the Salish Sea, a place-based curriculum that braids together Western and Indigenous Science to engage students in investigating local marine habitats and presented on their takeaways and experiences implementing culturally responsive elementary science instruction.
“The students’ presentations showcase how WWU students are being prepared to contribute their knowledge to the profession in support of high-quality science education,” Hanuscin said. “I’m thrilled to be recognized for my work with this future generation of teachers!”
The Western Student Chapter of the National Science Teaching Association is one of only 15 collegiate chapters across the country. Students who are interested in science teaching at all levels, both inside and outside the classroom, can learn more at https://win.wwu.edu/organization/nsta.
To learn more about SMATE, visit https://smate.wwu.edu/
Mikayla King (‘17) covers the College of Science and Engineering and Woodring College of Education for University Communications. Reach out to her with story ideas at kingm24@wwu.edu.