Rachel A. Sparks is a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the School of Natural Resources at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Dr. Sparks earned her BS in Secondary Science Education at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio (2013) and her PhD in Biological Sciences with a focus in Behavior, Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics at Illinois State University in Normal, Illinois (2021). Dr. Sparks has conducted design-based research on evidence-based methods of teaching evolution to non-science majors and preservice teachers, how students view scientific concepts as relevant to their lives and future careers, preparing preservice elementary teachers to teach biology, and how science instruction can support PSETs' identity development as scientists and science educators. Her research endeavors to develop instructional frameworks and practices that engage students in scientific practices and position students’ identities and funds of knowledge as relevant to the learning process.
Rachel A. Sparks is a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the School of Natural Resources at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Dr. Sparks earned her BS in Secondary Science Education at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio (2013) and her PhD in Biological Sciences with a focus in Behavior, Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics at Illinois State University in Normal, Illinois (2021). Dr. Sparks has conducted design-based research on evidence-based methods of teaching evolution to non-science majors and preservice teachers, how students view scientific concepts as relevant to their lives and future careers, preparing preservice elementary teachers to teach biology, and how science instruction can support PSETs' identity development as scientists and science educators. Her research endeavors to develop instructional frameworks and practices that engage students in scientific practices and position students’ identities and funds of knowledge as relevant to the learning process.