Administrative Staff
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Dr. Walden is the Director of the Research Institute for STEM Education, in the K20 Center for Educational and Community Renewal at the University of Oklahoma. She has held this position since November 2002, during which time she also held the Project Manager and Educational Outreach Coordinator position for the Center for Semiconductor Physics in Nanostructures for 19 months. She has a BS in chemistry from Arkansas State University and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in computational organic chemistry from the University of Oklahoma. As a student, faculty, or research staff, Dr. Walden has been at OU since 1992.

After completing her Ph.D, she had a one-year post-doctoral appointment with the Modular Chem Consortium (MC2) arm of ChemConnections in 1997-1998 at the Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley. For MC2, she served as a Project Manager for educational multimedia and curriculum development in support of general chemistry modules written and marketed under the ChemConnections logo. Following that year, Dr. Walden returned to OU where she has studied protein dynamics, taught general and organic chemistry, and joined the multidisciplinary team at RISE studying success of underrepresented students in STEM.

Professional Interests:

     Better pedagogies for organic and general chemistry,

     Using visualization tools for teaching and research,

     Using computational science techniques for teaching and research,

     Researching and applying democratic pedagogies to inclusive education in the sciences  and engineering,

     Outreach providing hands-on science and engineering experiences for K-12,

     Gifted education for K-16,

     Electronic structure and molecular dynamics techniques applied to electron transfer and

     other reactions of organic species, particularly in biological and conducting polymers.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Cindy E. Foor is Assistant Director/Research Associate at the Research Institute for STEM Education at the University of Oklahoma. Cindy recieved her BA in Anthropology from OU and her MA in Cultural Anthropology from Western Michigan University as an anthropologist.

As an anthropologist, her research interests include ethnography of marginalized populations, cultural theory, issues of gender and underrepresented populations in STEM education and the cultural/historical construction of women's cultural identities and roles in past and present societies, with special focus on emerging nationalist projects.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Co-PI's
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Betty J. Harris

Betty Harris received her Ph.D. in 1982 from Brown University. She is currently the director of women's studies and an associate professor in the anthropology department. Her research interests include political economy; industrialization; family structure; gender; grassroots social services; Africa; and the United States.

She has published The Political Economy of the Southern African Periphery: Cottage Industries, Factories and Female Wage Labor in Swaziland Compared.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Teri Reed-Rhoads

Teri Reed-Rhoads is the Assistant Dean of Engineering for Undergraduate Education at Purdue University. She received her Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering from Arizona State University. Dr. Rhoads teaches engineering statistics and quality engineering courses. Her research interests are diverse in that she studies effective means of learning in the engineering classroom, including the incorporation of web-based learning in statistics. She is interested in not only the cognitive domain of learning, but also the affective domains and how to assess each. In addition, she researches recruitment and retention issues.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Randa L. Shehab

Dr. Randa L. Shehab is the interim Director of the School of Industrial Engineering at the University of Oklahoma. She currently serves as the Director of the Human Technology Interaction Center (HTIC), an interdisciplinary center at OU founded to explore the human use of technology. Before joining OU, she worked as an Ergonomics Consultant to the Manufacturing Ergonomics Laboratory at the General Motors Technical Center in Warren, Michigan. Dr. Shehab teaches undergraduate and graduate level courses in ergonomics, biomechanics, safety, experimental design, and statistical analysis. Dr. Shehab has been working with the Spaceflight Ergonomics Research Program at OU since 1992 on issues related to cognitive performance of astronauts in microgravity and is part of a multi-disciplinary research team investigating factors related to success of underrepresented minority engineering students.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Deborah A. Trytten

Dr. Deborah A. Trytten is the interim Director of the School of Computer Science at the University of Oklahoma.  Her current research interests include lower division undergraduate software engineering education, and gender and racial/ethnic diversity in engineering. Dr. Trytten teaches introductory programming courses and is writing a textbook for the second programming course for a major publisher. Dr. Trytten is the Chair of the Undergraduate Committee in Computer Science.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
STEP Assistants
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Tyler Combrink

Tyler is currently a junior pursuing a B.S in Computer Engineering and a minor in Math at the University of Oklahoma. He plans to graduate in 2008 and go on to acquire an M.S. He is originally from the bustling metropolis of Durant, OK. Tyler has served as an undergraduate research assistant for RISE since November 2004, previously working on data analysis and transcript review and now serving as webmaster and office computer administrator.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Quintin Hughes, a 23 year old native of Little Rock AR, graduated from the University of Oklahoma in December of 2004 with a B.S. in Industrial Engineering. While an undergraduate student at OU, he assisted in OKAMP research, investigating reasons for low minority retention rates in OU's College of Engineering, interned in a research experience for undergraduates sponsored by the NSF, where he assisted in investigating astronaut performance with a remote manipulator system aboard a shuttle and space station for NASA, and was a member of a multidisciplinary research team assembled to develop and test the usability of Oklahoma's traffic website. Quintin also interned with Schlumberger Oil Well Services for two straight summers, and is now in graduate school thanks to their financial support along with the National GEM Consortium. As a graduate student, Mr. Hughes now assists in research investigating the success of minority engineering students at OU. His thesis research investigates the black communities affect on the development of Math & Science skills of their children. Mr. Hughes has recently been named a Bridges Scholar. Quintin would like to receive a PhD in Industrial Engineering as well, investigating the ergonomic design and development of products for the minority demographic.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Walter is an electrical engineering senior from Houston, TX.  After graduation, he plans to move back to Houston and work as an engineer while pursuing a Masters degree in business.  Walter has been very active in his fraternity and the National Society of Black Engineers.  At RISE, Walter works with a coding team who analyzes and codes transcripts of African-American students.  Walter has been working with this project since October of 2006.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Anna Wong Lowe is a doctoral student in Communications with foci in race, Asian American identity, whiteness, and critical/cultural theory. She has worked with RISE since July 2006 as an interviewer, junior coder, and data analyzer.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Ruth Moaning is an Undergraduate Research Assistant involved in the STEP project. She is the main recruiter and scheduler for interviewing minority engineering students, and codes the African American interviews. Ruth is from McLoud, OK, and is currently working on a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering. She is an active member in several engineering student organizations, including currently serving as President of the American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES), and Engineering Queen in Engineers' Club. Ruth has also been an officer in the Society of Women Engineers (SWE), National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), and participates in the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHEP), American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), Pan-American Student Association (PANAM), and Black Student Association (BSA). In her spare time, she enjoys traveling, going to the beach, shopping, reading, volunteering, and having fun!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Shanel Norwood

Shanel Norwood is a Graduate Research Assistant on the STEP project.  She interviews African American students, codes transcripts, conducts data analysis and researches literature.  She is originally from Enid, Oklahoma.  Shanel received her Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education from the University of Oklahoma in December 2005.   She is currently working on her Master’s in Elementary Education.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Sedelta Oosahwee is a Graduate Research Assistant on the STEP project.  She interviews Native American students, codes transcripts, conducts data analysis and researches literature.  She is an enrolled member of the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation and is also part Cherokee.  She is originally from Tahlequah, Oklahoma.  Sedelta received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Public Affairs and Administration from the University of Oklahoma in May 2005.  Her minor was in Native American Studies.  She is currently working on her Master’s in Adult and Higher Education with and emphasis on Higher Education Administration. 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Lauren Rieken

Lauren Rieken is a Graduate Research Assistant on the STEP project. She specifically recruits minority engineering students for interviews, interviews the Native American students, and codes Native American literature for analysis. She is originally from OKC and has received her Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, TX in May 2005.  She graduated Magna Cum Laude with minors in Sociology and Criminal Justice and is currently finishing her first year of Master's work in the Community Counseling program at OU. Lauren plans on continuing on to her Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology, either here or somewhere back in Texas. She is involved in the Counseling Student Association for our program and is a member of both the American Psychological Association and the Oklahoma Psychological Association. She enjoys attending church, going shopping, reading, and just hanging out with friends (when she has a spare moment)!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Johanna Rojas was born in Bogotá-Colombia. She first came to the University of Oklahoma to study English, and, after six months, applied to OU and started working on her Bachelors degree in Industrial Engineering. She has been very involved with the Hispanic organizations on campus; she was the President of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE), Vice-President of the Pan-American Student Association (PANAM), and an officer of the Colombian Student Association (COLSA). She is currently working at RISE interviewing Hispanic students majoring in Engineering. She is fascinated with the project because it is helping to understand factors that help minorities to finish school. Also, She is pursuing her Masters degree in Industrial Engineering and hopes to graduate in May 2007. She likes to play racquetball, watch movies, travel around the world, and her favorite hobby is to scuba dive.