Biography

Rachel Hallett-Njuguna is a triple Knight with an undergraduate degree in Science Education (’97), a master’s in K-8 Math and Science Education through the Lockheed Martin Academy (’02), and a doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction (’10). As part of her Doctoral work, she had the privilege of working as a Graduate Research Assistant with Dr Bobbi Jeanpierre on her NSF Career Award to study urban science instruction. She has served as an Adjunct professor in the School of Teacher Education for over 10 years. Her classes have included undergraduate science methods courses as well as several master’s level science content and methods courses. As a preeminent post-doctoral scholar, since 2021 she has worked as Project Director of the DebriefScape grant funded by the USDOE/OSEP alongside P.I. Dr Lisa Dieker. In Spring of 2023, Rachel also became an Assistant in Research at the Learning Systems Institute at Florida State University where she develops resources and provides training for STEM teachers. Prior to her time at UCF, Rachel spent over 20 years in K-12 education. She worked for 15 years in K-12 science and STEM classrooms and for 9 years as the district science specialist for Seminole County Public Schools. Her experience and research interests are in supporting teachers to improve science instruction, particularly with integrated instruction that is designed to engage all students.