简介

Leah Bricker's research explores youths’ STEM-related learning pathways. She researches questions such as, "How do everyday moments—experienced across settings, pursuits, social groups, and time—result in science-related learning, expertise development, and identification?” Bricker uses lenses from multiple fields (e.g., anthropology, science education, learning sciences, science studies) to research phenomena of interest including linguistic and interactional elements of youths’ STEM-related learning and practice, as well as social disparities related to youths’ interest and opportunities associated with STEM learning and practice. Other focal interests are related to science communication, "informal" STEM learning, and learning within health-related contexts (e.g., infectious disease and other public health arenas, genomics). Bricker applies anthropological lenses to the study of youth, family, community, and professional STEM-related learning across contexts and timescales. In addition, she uses ethnographic and other qualitative methods, and design-based research to study and design STEM learning environments. Bricker is also interested in methods associated with youth participatory action research and citizen-science endeavors. Bricker was an award-winning secondary science teacher before serving as the state science coordinator at the Indiana Department of Education, where she was involved in all aspects of K-12 science education (e.g., standards, assessments, professional development, partnerships among science education stakeholders in the state). Bricker then served as a senior program associate at the American Association for the Advancement of Science's Project 2061, where she helped design and implement professional development programs, and helped manage a National Science Foundation grant focused on STEM assessments. Bricker earned her PhD in the Learning Sciences at the University of Washington.