The College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics (NSM) is dedicated to making Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) more accessible. In addition to NSM’s programs for K-12 students and UH students, our faculty members participate in many other STEM outreach activities.

Melahat Almus, Ph.D.
Department of Mathematics
Provides professional development for Houston-area calculus teachers through HoustonACT.

Eric Bittner, Ph.D.
Department of Physics
Works with the Pinhead Institute in Telluride, CO, to give presentations and simulations on ocean pollution.

Jakoah Brgoch, Ph.D.
Department of Chemistry
Works with Research Experiences and Exploration in Materials Science (REEMS) through Houston Community College and the American Chemical Society’s Project SEED.

Ann Cheek, Ph.D.
Department of Biology & Biochemistry
Serves as a judge for life sciences at the Science and Engineering Fair of Houston.

Shuo Chen, Ph.D.
Department of Physics
Conducts demonstrations involving superconductivity, low temperature, mechanics, and electrical circuits, and hosts lab tours for K-12 students. She also serves as a guest lecturer, provides hands-on workshops, and provides lab tours for teachers. She is interested in partnering with organizations to conduct demonstrations or lectures on sustainability.

Tai-Yen Chen, Ph.D.
Department of Chemistry
Serves as a judge for the chemistry division at the Science and Engineering Fair of Houston.

William Dupre, Ph.D.
Department of Earth & Atmospheric Sciences
Works with the Houston Geological Society to give a series of public informational workshops on flooding.

Paige Evans, Ph.D.
Department of Mathematics, teachHOUSTON
Works with the UH-Life Program, teachHouston STEM Camps, and the Math Contest.

Rebecca Forrest, Ph.D.
Department of Physics
Works with K-12 students, high school teachers and the general public conducting demonstrations through various programs including teachHouston STEM Camps, UH STEM Center, Mars Rover Celebration, Earth Day, San Jacinto Community College’s STEMtastic Adventures Summer Camp, Adventures in STEM, Girls Inc. Summer Camp, and Girls Exploring Math and Science (GEMS).

Qi Fu, Ph.D.
Department of Earth & Atmospheric Sciences
Presents lectures on ocean science for K-12 students in the Houston area.

Gemunu Gunaratne, Ph.D.
Department of Physics
Creates discovery experiments and mini lectures for high school and middle school teachers participating in the STEM Teaching Equity Project.

Kresimir Josic, Ph.D.
Department of Mathematics
Works with fourth and fifth grade students at Roberts Elementary in Houston ISD who participate in Math Olympiad. He also contributes to the radio segment, Engines of Our Ingenuity.

Erin Kelleher, Ph.D.
Department of Biology & Biochemistry
Works with 7^th grade teachers who participate in an 8-week summer program conducting research with fruit flies through the STEM Teaching Equity Project. The program also hosts a one-day workshop in the spring, in addition to assisting teachers with lesson plans and providing support during the academic year.

Mariam Manuel, Ph.D.
Department of Mathematics, teachHOUSTON
Works with the STEM RISE, RESET in STEM and Lead Houston Master Teacher Fellowship. She serves as regional lead for Texas Girls Collaborative Project, on the publication committee for education research, and as an alumni mentor with UTeach. She is the advisor for teachHouston Student Society, COOGS against Human Trafficking and COOGS against Domestic Violence.

Rich Meisel, Ph.D.
Department of Biology & Biochemistry
Leads the Houston Genetics BIORETS program which provides high school science teachers in the Houston area with research experiences that improve genetics and genomics content knowledge. Co-director of the Southeast Texas Evolutionary Genetics and Genomics Integrative Research and Collaborative Training (STEGG-INTERACT) program offering recent college graduates a collaborative mentored research experience on the evolutionary genetics of biological interactions, and training in technical and professional skills.

Monique Ogletree, Ph.D.
Department of Biology and Biochemistry
Serves as the Lead Judge Coordinator for the Medicine and Health Category of the Science and Engineering Fair of Houston.

Donna Pattison, Ph.D.
Department of Biology & Biochemistry
Works with Spring Branch ISD’s Elementary Science Program, participating in the Girls in STEM Program and doing a strawberry DNA extraction lab with 5^th grade students at Spring Branch Elementary. She also hosted students from Yates, Austin, Hastings and Northside High Schools who participated in a college-level beet membrane permeability lab at UH and discussed how to succeed in college with a panel of undergraduate students.

Steven Pennings, Ph.D.
Department of Biology & Biochemistry
Works with GCE Schoolyard, through the Georgia Coastal Ecosytems LTER Education Program, to immerse K-12 educators in inquiry-based science while working as research assistants.

Cathy Poliak, Ph.D.
Department of Mathematics
Provides professional development for Houston-area statistics teachers through HoustonATS.

Claudia Ratti, Ph.D.
Department of Physics
Works with the STEM-E Youth Career Development Program, serves as a judge for middle school and high school science fairs, provides internship opportunities for high school students, and maintains the NSM Women in Physics webpage.

Andrew Renshaw, Ph.D.
Department of Physics
Creates discovery experiments and mini lectures for high school and middle school teachers participating in the STEM Teaching Equity Project.

Jinny Sisson, Ph.D.
Department of Earth & Atmospheric Sciences
Works with Baylor College of Medicine Academy Middle School to present at careers days, teaching students about geology and how to become a college professor.

Donna Stokes, Ph.D.
Department of Physics
Works with K-12 students, high school teachers and the general public conducting demonstrations through various programs, including teachHouston STEM Camps, UH STEM Center, Mars Rover Celebration, Earth Day, San Jacinto Community College’s STEMtastic Adventures Summer Camp and Adventures in STEM, Girls Inc. Summer Camp, and Girls Exploring Math and Science (GEMS). She also serves as the faculty advisor for the Astronomy Society at UH, Society of Physics Students, and Sigma Pi Sigma.

Tom Teets, Ph.D.
Department of Chemistry
Works with the Welch Summer Scholars Program and presents to student organizations explaining the importance of undergraduate research and the how to seek undergraduate research opportunities. He also has served as a consultant for local news channels and done televised interviews.

Rakesh Verma, Ph.D.
Department of Computer Science
Works with CyberCorps: Scholarship for Service and S-STEM Scholarships for Undergraduates and serves as the faculty advisor for the Ethical Hackers Club.

Julia Wellner, Ph.D.
Department of Earth & Atmospheric Sciences
Presents seminars on glacial and climate change, focused in part on her work in Antarctica, at Houston-area schools, museums, business and charity functions, and in other public forums. She also engages with professional organizations, like AAPG and NASA, for in-service teacher training. She taught, Antarctica: An Earth Scientist’s Guide, through Rice University’s Continuing Studies program.

Lowell Wood, Ph.D.
Department of Physics
Presents mini lectures for high school and middle school teachers participating in the STEM Teaching Equity Project.

Jerry Yang, Ph.D.
Department of Chemistry
Works with the Greater Houston Section of the United States National Chemistry Olympiad.

Becky Zufall, Ph.D.
Department of Biology & Biochemistry
Director of the Southeast Texas Evolutionary Genetics and Genomics Integrative Research and Collaborative Training (STEGG-INTERACT) program offering recent college graduates a collaborative mentored research experience on the evolutionary genetics of biological interactions, and training in technical and professional skills.