Our Team
PreSTAR is led by an interdisciplinary team of faculty, staff and graduate students at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln with expertise in early childhood education and development, behavioral cognition, entomology, engineering, statistics and methodology.
Research Team
Soo-Young Hong, PH.D.
Principal Investigator
Associate Professor, Child, Youth & Family Studies
[email protected]
Marianna Burks, PH.D.
Assistant Professor of Practice, School of Biological Sciences
[email protected]
Doug Golick, PH.D.
Professor, Science Education, Human Dimensions of Beneficial Insect Systems
[email protected]
Deepika Menon, PH.D.
Assistant Professor, Teaching, Learning & Teacher Education
[email protected]
Sarah Paulos, M.A.
Lower School Science Teacher, Brownell Talbot College Preparatory School
[email protected]
Lisa Poppe, M.S.
Early Childhood Extension Educator, Nebraska Extension
[email protected]
LaDonna Werth, M.S.
Early Childhood Extension Educator, Nebraska Extension
[email protected]
Christine Wittich, PH.D.
Associate Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering
[email protected]
HyeonJin Yoon, PH.D.
Research Assistant Professor, MAP Academy
Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families and Schools
[email protected]
Graduate Research Assistants
Maddie Pieper
Counseling Psychology
Pragya Pokharel
Child, Youth and Family Studies
Fotima Turdalieva
Child, Youth and Family Studies
Yao Yao
Child, Youth and Family Studies
ADVISORY COMMITTEE
Advisory Committee members with extensive experience in science-related professional development research provide guidance on all aspects of the PreSTAR program.
Alissa Lange, Ed.D.
Associate Professor, Early Childhood Education
East Tennessee State University
Daryl Greenfield, Ph.D.
Professor, Developmental Psychology
University of Miami
Gwen Nugent, Ph.D.
Research Professor Emeritus, Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families and Schools
University of Nebraska–Lincoln
Julie Thomas, Ph.D.
Research Professor Emeritus, Teaching, Learning & Teacher Education
University of Nebraska–Lincoln