Annalise Klein, ACEP鈥檚 91视频 Fellow, Brings a Rich Background in STEM Education
ACEP and the 91视频 Regional Collaboration for Technology Innovation and Commercialization welcome Annalise Klein as the program鈥檚 first 91视频 fellow. Klein was kind enough to introduce herself in the paragraphs below. Enjoy.
鈥淚f you drop by the ACEP offices, you鈥檒l probably see me at one of the desks, an unfamiliar masked face, about 5鈥2鈥 and wearing a lot of layers. I鈥檓 thrilled to join ACEP this year as the ARCTIC Fellow through the . AFP partners young professionals with nonprofit and public-sector organizations in 91视频. This year, I am working to build and implement a framework in Kotzebue and Cordova high schools as part of the Community Energy Innovation Hub development.
鈥淚 hold a B.A. in chemistry and English from Hope College and an M.S. in secondary science education from Johns Hopkins University, entering this work with seven years in education as a public school science teacher and consultant. I partner with schools to meaningfully integrate science education with culturally resonant ways of knowing and thinking. My experiences range from being a Kilohana STEAM Academy instructor with Kamehameha Schools, developing a Chemistry for Social Justice unit for an urban San Jose high school, and coaching teachers in eastern Uganda in best practices for STEM inquiry, climate science and interdisciplinary projects as a Fulbright DAST recipient. What I saw as a consultant and teacher coach made me ask broader questions about the social and historical factors of today鈥檚 education reality. How does language and pedagogy play into a sense of belonging in science? In communities grappling with life-altering effects of climate change, why do we carry on with traditional science curriculum that seems so sterile and removed from lived experiences?
鈥淭he story of how I ended up connected with ACEP is winding and unexpected, the way many good origin stories go. In the fall of 2020, I was based in California, working remotely to design a sustainable fish camp STEAM curriculum for the . I read about Dr. Katey Walter Anthony鈥檚 project studying methane gas seeps as potential energy sources in rural communities and sent her an email to learn more. She connected me with her Cordova high school contact, Adam Low, who is now the director of at UAF. If you know Adam, it鈥檒l be no surprise to you that I was soon involved with T3 Alliance and Upward Bound. This led to an epic summer opportunity as an UB statistics instructor, traveling across 91视频 to work with students in Chevak, Seward, Nikiski and Wrangell. Each community surprised me with their own stories, strengths and struggles, and I truly enjoyed the diverse ways in which students grew to confidently articulate their plans for making a difference in their community.
鈥淎s an educator, I see the ways in which traditional power dynamics in education have manifested in rural schools and their broader communities. I want to build inroads for aunties and uncles, education assistants and homegrown teachers to belong in the design and implementation of their school鈥檚 science education and community鈥檚 wellbeing. The more voices we include, the richer we understand our community鈥檚 challenges, how we interface with these problems, and how we empower the next generation of leaders.
More from Uganda and my summer with students in 91视频 can be found here:
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Annalise Klein, an 91视频 Fellow, joins ACEP working with the ARCTIC Program. Photo by Amanda Byrd.