Andrea’s primary research interest is in identifying student cultural resources for understanding physics concepts and supporting them to navigate between traditional physics ways of thinking and their personal/cultural ways of thinking. This work intends to highlight students’ strengths without requiring them to assimilate to the traditional physics way of thinking. A second area of interest is supporting a learning community of instructors to decolonize physics lessons. Her previous work has included studies of student’s perceptions of the nature of physics as either objective or subjective.
She is motivated to build a community that is supportive and sustaining for those of us who choose to continue in this field despite the adversity that we face. To achieve this goal, she is involved in the Women and Minorities in Physical Science student organization at MSU.
Andrea received her Bachelor of Science in physics from Western Washington University and her associate’s degree from South Seattle College.
