Staff
Administration
David L. Nelson, Director - Dave is a Professor in the Department of Biochemistry. He came to Madison in 1971 after training at Stanford Medical School and Harvard Medical School. He teaches a survey course in biochemistry and is co-author (with Michael Cox) of a textbook, Lehninger Principles of Biochemistry. His research concerns the biochemistry of signal transduction in the unicellular eukaryote Paramecium. At CBE, Dave works with the Associate Director in overseeing the diverse activities of the Center and in seeking funding for new Center activities. He works with CBE staff members in setting priorities and directions, and with various partners in teaching and learning within and outside the University. nelson@biochem.wisc.edu; (608) 263-6879 or 262-5267.
Jane Harris Cramer, Associate Director - Jane is responsible for the administration and direct management of Center operations. She works in partnership with CBE colleagues on a number of the Center's initiatives. A particular area of interest is enriching the undergraduate experience through beyond the classroom learning opportunities. Trained as a microbiologist, Jane served as a researcher, regulatory affairs officer and education consultant in both academia and industry prior to joining CBE. jhcramer@wisc.edu; (608) 263-0478
Dennis Kuester, Accounts Manager dkuester@wisc.edu; (608) 262-5478
David Augustine, Technology Consultant - Dave is the Center's resident technology consultant and has a background in both computer science and history of science. His role at CBE includes both hardware and software management. Dave works to keep the machines and software up to date and secure, as well as implements new technology related ideas and programs. Through direct collaboration with the other CBE staff members, he also helps to enhance the technological application of the many CBE programs. daugustine@doit.wisc.edu; (608) 262-1183
Outreach Program Directors
Robert Bohanan - Robert coordinates science enrichment programs for middle and high school students in Summer Science Institute and the Precollege Enrichment Program for Learning Excellence at UW-Madison. He is a member of the Wisconsin Center for Education Research NSF-funded System-wide Change for All Learners and Educators project providing educational materials for teachers and students in WI, CA, CO, and RI. He is the project director of SchoolYard Biology an NSF-funded inquiry-based professional development partnership with North Temperate Lakes Long-term Ecological Research and several school districts in Wisconsin including Madison area schools and Arbor Vitae-Woodruff area schools. He is actively involved in citizen science projects on Wisconsin aquatic ecosystems. Robert teaches Ecology to undergraduates in Introductory Biology and a graduate seminar on inquiry-based teaching and learning using watersheds for graduate students in science education. He is an ecologist with research interest in red wing blackbird behavior, aquatic ecology, climate change and urban ecology. rbohanan@wisc.edu; (608) 265-2125
Dolly Ledin - Dolly coordinates the Adult Role Models in Science (ARMS) program, which places science volunteers in elementary and middle schools. Dolly is also very active with assisting schools with their Family Science Nights, after-school science clubs, and other science events. Her work emphasizes partnership development between the UW Madison, area schools, and other science, agriculture, and food-related agencies and businesses as well as informal education venues such as museums and nature centers. daledin@wisc.edu; (608) 222-4865
Kevin Niemi - Kevin's role at CBE revolves around the development and implementation of University-community-school partnerships and on the pedagogy of K-12 inquiry-based science instruction and effective professional development for teachers of science in the K-12 classroom. Kevin is a plant physiologist (University of Minnesota) by training with postdoctoral research experience in plant biochemistry here at UW-Madison. Other career stops include two years teaching and conducting research at Grinnell College, a year as a naturalist at the Minnesota Zoo and more than four years as the first education coordinator at Madison's Olbrich Botanical Gardens. kjniemi@wisc.edu; (608) 262-5480
Undergraduate/Faculty Enhancement Program Directors
Janet Branchaw - Janet promotes biology education opportunities for undergraduates, particularly research experiences. She directs two NSF funded programs: a Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Site program, the Integrated Biological Sciences Summer Research Program (IBS-SRP), and an Interdisciplinary Undergraduate Research and Mentoring (URM) Program. She collaborates with the Wisconsin Program for Scientific Teaching to offer mentor training in parallel to these undergraduate research programs, and the UW-Madison Wisconsin Alliance for Minority Participation (WiscAMP) team to increase diversity in STEM disciplines. She is the course chairperson for the Entering Research seminar for sophomores, and for Biocore 323, organismal biology. In addition, she teaches animal physiology in Biology 152. Her research expertise is in the areas of cellular neurophysiology and membrane biophysics. branchaw@wisc.edu; (608) 262-1182
Lillian Tong - Lillian develops and coordinates programs that provide a menu of opportunities through which faculty/staff can learn, share ideas and support each other in teaching in the biological sciences. She works with the biological sciences division, colleges, and departments on issues that affect cross-college biology education. Lillian builds interactions between the biology community and other disciplines across campus and works collaboratively with groups such as the Teaching Academy, CALS Council on Teaching and Learning, and Delta. tong@wisc.edu; (608) 265-3003
Brian Asen - Brian coordinates programs in science education for undergraduate and high school students. His time is primarily devoted to the Integrated Biological Sciences Summer Research Program, Summer Science Institute, PEOPLE and the Ways of Knowing Biology course for first year undergraduate students. Brian began his career at UW-Madison in 2003 as a Graduate Coordinator for the Department of Computer Sciences. Before coming to the university Brian worked in education as a substitute teacher. beasen@wisc.edu; (608) 262-5267
Learning Technology Consultant
Alan Wolf - As a joint appointment between DoIT and CBE, Alan is part of the Digital Media Center (DMC), where he consults with biology faculty from across the campus to support effective uses of technology for teaching and learning. Alan joined the DMC in the fall of 1998 from the University of Michigan, where he pursued his interest in biology education through science outreach activities and undergraduate teaching throughout his graduate and postdoctoral studies. alanwolf@wisc.edu; (608) 263-0919