Current and Recent Projects
This page contains brief summaries of current and recent research and evaluation studies and scientific writing projects along with descriptions of some design consultations for strategic plans, programs, projects, and research studies.
ANGLE: Alaska Native Geoscience Learning Experience
Evaluation research design and services for integrated earthquake science and geohazard education and public preparation/resilience training based on EarthScope educational materials and prior work with CEETEP (Cascadia EarthScope Earthquake and Tsunami Education Program, below). Funded by the National Science Foundation. Partners: Alaska Pacific University, University of Alaska Anchorage, Central Washington University.
VacciniumCAP: Leveraging Genetic and Genomic Resources to Enable Development of Blueberry and Cranberry Cultivars With Improved Fruit Quality Attributes
Evaluation research design and services for a large collaborative research project on the genetics and genomics of blueberry, cranberry, and related species for improved breeding and cultivar development. Funded by the US Department of Agriculture. Partners: North Carolina State University (lead), Washington State University, University of Wisconsin, University of Florida, Michigan State University, Rutgers University, Mississippi State University, University of Georgia, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Plant and Food Research Ltd (New Zealand), Fondazione Edmund Mach (Italy).
Plant Breeding Capacity in U.S. Public Institutions
Designed, conducted, analyzed, wrote, and published a peer-reviewed study of Plant Breeding Capacity in U.S. Public Institutions, partnering with coauthors and advisors from the National Association of Plant Breeders, the U.S. Plant Breeding Coordinating Committee, and Washington State University. Funded by the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Available in the journal Crop Science at https://acsess.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/csc2.20227
AgBioData Research Coordination Network: Reimagining a Sustainable Data Network to Accelerate Agricultural Research and Discovery
Evaluation research design and services to support a multi-institutional collaborative effort to enhance research in agricultural science by increasing the accessibility and reuse of large-scale biological data, encompassing genetic, genomic, and phenotypic characteristics of plants and animals. Funded by a National Science Foundation award to Phoenix Bioinformatics Corporation; additional support from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, USDA Agricultural Research Service, industry partners and U.S. Land Grant Universities. Partners include Washington State University, Oregon State University, Iowa State University, University of Tennessee, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, and many other participating database developers.
REACH: Research Education on Air and Cardiovascular Health (aka Improving Rural Population Health Through Air Quality and Cardiovascular Health Education)
Evaluation research design and services and scientific writing services for a high school and middle school program in rural and American Indian / Alaska Native communities in Montana, Idaho, and Alaska that provides students with experience designing and conducting indoor air quality research to engage their interest in health science careers. Funded by a National Institutes of Health (NIH) Science Education Partnership Award (SEPA) to the University of Montana.
Salish Kootenai College Science Education Programs
Evaluation research design and services for the RAISE project (Research on American Indian Science Education) and the SKC STEM Academy program, which provides high school students on the Flathead Indian Reservation with an opportunity to earn college credits and begin their undergraduate STEM studies in biology and related disciplines. Funded by the National Science Foundation.
ACES: Authentic Community Engagement in Science
Evaluation research design and services for a five year project that provides middle school students and their families in eastern Montana with engaging chemistry and other science content along with locally grounded pathways to biomedical careers. Funded by a National Institutes of Health (NIH) Science Education Partnership Award (SEPA) to Montana State University.
RosBREED: Combining Disease Resistance with Horticultural Quality in New Rosaceous Cultivars
Evaluation design and research services for the RosBREED project of Michigan State University. RosBREED created a national, dynamic, sustained effort in research, infrastructure establishment, training, and extension for applying genetic marker-assisted breeding to crops in the Rosaceae family (including apple, peach, sweet and tart cherries, and strawberry). Partners: University of Minnesota, Cornell University, Washington State University, the USDA-ARS National Clonal Germplasm Repository, many national and international academic and industry collaborators. Overview publication: RosBREED: Bridging the Chasm Between Discovery and Application to Enable DNA-Informed Breeding in Rosaceous Crops.
GDR: Genome Database for Rosaceae
Evaluation research design and services to support development of this online genetics and genomics database for researchers and breeders of plants in the Rosaceae family (apple, pear, peach, almond, cherry, strawberry, raspberry, blackberry, roses, and more). Funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the National Science Foundation, industry stakeholders and U.S. Land Grant Universities.
Research and Extension Needs Assessment for the U.S. Blackberry Industry
Research design and services for a national survey of the U.S. blackberry growers and related industry professionals, which served as the foundation for a research planning meeting at the annual conference of the North American Raspberry and Blackberry Association (NARBA) in 2020. Funded by an award to the University of Arkansas from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
CEETEP: Cascadia EarthScope Earthquake and Tsunami Education Program -- Linking Teachers, Interpreters, and Emergency Managers
Evaluation design and research services for a three year series of educational events for coastal educators, including K-12 teachers, park and museum natural history interpreters, and emergency management professionals, focused on greater understanding of coastal geology, risks, and resilience. Funded by the National Science Foundation. Partners: Central Washington University, University of Portland, Oregon State University.
Montana Natural History Center, Visiting Naturalist in the Schools Program
Evaluation research design and services for MNHC’s Visiting Naturalist in the Schools program, which provides elementary school students with a cumulative year-long sequence of classroom-based and outdoor activities focused on observation of nature, scientific inquiry practices, and written and artistic expression to develop student interest in the natural world and build student knowledge and appreciation of local natural history and natural resources. A report based on this work is linked from the program website.
Clark Fork Watershed Education Project
Evaluation research design and services for this place-based environmental science education program aimed at implementing the K-12 Framework for Science Education and the Next Generation Science Standards. Funded through the US Department of Education program on Math Science Partnerships, the Montana Office of Public Instruction, and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Science Education Partnership Award (SEPA) program among others.
CCLI: Cultural Competence Learning Institute
Advisory panel member for a professional development model supporting diversity, equity, inclusion and access efforts for museums, including governance, staffing, and visitor programs. Funded in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Science (IMLS). Partners: Children’s Discovery Museum of San Jose (CDM), Association of Science and Technology Centers (ASTC), Association of Children’s Museums (ACM), Garibay Group.
FFSI: Family Financial Stability Index
Development and application of a new method for using U.S. Census Bureau data to estimate the average financial stability of families with children living in specific neighborhoods (census tracts). Originally developed for California’s Orange County United Way to help with planning and monitoring services, this methodology is now available for varying geographies within the U.S. (cities, counties, regions, states). Partners: Parsons Consulting (lead), Datalink Partners, Program and Policy Insight.
Growing Computer Science Curriculum, Diversity, and Teacher Preparedness Across Montana
Evaluation research design and scientific writing services for a curriculum and professional development program aimed at broadening the computer science curriculum available to students in Montana, increasing the number of qualified computer science teachers, and engaging more high school students in computer science education. Funded by a National Science Foundation award to the University of Montana. Partners: Montana Tech, Salem Kootenai College. Publications: Effects of Professional Development on Programming Knowledge and Self-Efficacy and Are We Making Progress? Gender Perceptions of Identity, Math, Teamwork and Social Support in Introductory Computer Science.
STEM Bridges: School to Afterschool
Evaluation research design and services to assist in developing and testing a process for facilitating better alignment and collaboration among afterschool STEM programming and school-day STEM curriculum and instruction. Partners: Oregon Afterschool for Kids (Oregon ASK), Pacific University, Oregon school districts (Woodburn, Falls City, Self Improvement Inc.), with support from the Mott Foundation and the Noyce Foundation.
REVEAL: Researching the Value of Educator Actions for Learning
Research design and and statistical advisor for REVEAL, a project to better understand the role of facilitators in museum-based free-choice mathematics learning. Funded by the National Science Foundation. Partners: Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, ScienceWorks, Oregon State University, Exploratorium, Garibay Group, TERC.
SYNERGIES: Customizing Interventions to Sustain Youth STEM Interest and Participation Pathways.
Evaluation research design and scientific writing services for this STEM education project focused on working with networks of formal and informal educational partners to develop individualized learning opportunities and resources for students to engage and develop their interests. Funded by a National Science Foundation award to Oregon State University.
Institute for Learning Innovation
Research design consultation for ILI’s lifelong, free-choice science learning projects including the Chief Science Officer Program and Camp Invention.
Public Engagement with Marine Reserves
Strategic planning assistance for conservation education efforts aimed at supporting public engagement with Oregon's new marine reserves and marine protected areas. Funded by the Lazar Foundation. Partner: Oregon Shores Conservation Coalition.
EECapacity: Linking Environmental Education With Diverse Community Organizations
Evaluation design and research services for the Oregon EECapacity Consortium, which aims to better connect the field of environmental education and its community of educators with a wider array of culturally and economically diverse communities. The Oregon Consortium is funded by the US Enivornmental Protection Agency through a grant to Cornell University and the North American Association for Environmental Education. Partners: Environmental Education Association of Oregon, the Gray Family Foundation, Latino Partnership Program of the Oregon Community Foundation, Clackamas Community College, Growing Gardens, Earth and Spirit Council, and many other Oregon NGOs.
Getting Wet in the Clackamas Watershed
Evaluation design and research services for the "Getting Wet in the Clackamas Watershed" project, which assists teachers in Clackamas County, Oregon with curriculum and instruction for teaching students about their local aquatic ecosystems; infrastructure for water treatment, wastewater, and storm water management; and human interactions with natural systems, focusing on conservation and sustainable resource management. Partner: Clackamas Water Education Team.
Western Conifer Forest Systems: Strategies for Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation
Project planning, research, and evaluation services for this project, funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to develop knowledge and decision-support tools to help forest managers implement effective climate change adaptation and mitigation stragegies. Partners: Led by Oregon State University, the project includes researchers from eight universities, three US Forest Service research stations, and US Forest Service State and Private Forestry.
Clark Fork Watershed Education Project: Southwest Montana Science Partnership
Evaluation design and research services for this CFWEP.ORG project, headquartered at Montana Tech in Butte, Montana. Funded through the US Department of Education program on Math Science Partnerships, this project helped K-12 teachers implement inquiry based science lessons in their classrooms through place-based activities focused on the Clark Fork watershed. Partners: CFWEP.ORG, the Montana Educational Consortium, Montana State University, the Western Montana Partnership for Educational Resources, and the Montana Small Schools Alliance.
Conifer Translational Genomics Network
Provided project evaluation for the Conifer Translational Genomics Network (CTGN), funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to integrate bioinformatics and genomic research with tree breeding and forest management practices. Partners: University of California, Davis; Oregon State University; North Carolina State University; Texas A&M; the University of Florida; and the University of Georgia.
eOrganic
Designed and conducted needs assessment and evaluation research for the eOrganic project, which provides online, multimedia resources for farmers, gardeners, and ranchers interested in unbiased, science- and experience-based information about organic agriculture practices. Partners include Oregon State University, the University of Minnesota, Penn State University, the University of Vermont, the University of Illinois, the University of Florida, Clemson University, and eXtension.org.
Tualatin River Watershed Council
The Tualatin River Watershed Council is a watershed stewardship organization that promotes sustainability and watershed-wise practices in northwestern Oregon. Cedar Lake Research Group helped the Tualatin council develop a new strategic plan, by facilitating a structured series of meetings and collaborating with the group to craft strategic plan documents that clarify and focus their work.
Solanaceae Coordinated Agricultural Project
Evaluation design and research services for the Solanaceae Coordinated Agricultural Project (SolCAP) of Michigan State University. SolCAP linked genomic researchers and plant breeders from public and private institutions and the agriculture business community to improve two important Solanaceae crops: potato and tomato. Additional partners included Cornell University, Ohio State University, the University of California, Davis, and other national and international collaborators.
Six Trait Writing
Designed, managed, and served as principle technical writer of an experimental study to evaluate the effectiveness of the 6+1 Trait Writing model, a framework for helping students learn to write effectively. This large randomized experimental study was conducted in 74 elementary schools in Oregon as part of the Regional Educational Laboratory program of the U.S. Department of Education. Publication: An Investigation of the Impact of the 6+1 Trait Writing Model on Grade 5 Student Writing Achievement.
Oregon After School for Kids
Evaluation design and research services for the acquisition, analysis, interpretation, and presentation of data related to out-of-school time programs and activities for children, youth and families in Oregon, including reports of findings from program providers and parents. Oregon After School for Kids (Oregon ASK) is a collaboration of public and private organizations and community members seeking to address common issues and concerns across all out-of-school time services - child care, recreation, education and youth development.
Dedicated Education Units for Nursing Students
Collaborated with the University of Portland School of Nursing and Education Northwest to evaluate a new way of organizing clinical placements in hospitals for nursing students. This study was funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and involved the Providence Health System and the Portland VA Medical Center in Oregon, as well as nursing schools at the University of Buffalo, the University of South Carolina, the University of Tennessee, and their partner hospitals. Publications: Dedicated Education Unit: Implementing an Innovation in Replication Sites. Also Dedication Education Unit: Nurse Perspectives on Their Clinical Teaching Role and Dedication Education Unit: Student Perspectives.