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Walter Lab Student Researchers
and Veterans
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Since 2015, the Walter Lab has been home to over 30 students, including undergraduate,

Smittcamp and Biology honors program students, and graduate students.

Allison Vang

I am a psychology major with an Asian American Studies minor. I am doing a qualitative meta-analysis of culturally responsive, relevant, and sustaining pedagogies in undergraduate STEM.

Vivian Nguyen

I am a biology major and Smittcamp Scholar doing a meta-analysis of culturally responsive, relevant, and sustaining teaching practices in postsecondary STEM.

Danielle Vu

I am a social science major and Smittcamp Scholar doing a meta-analysis of culturally responsive, relevant, and sustaining teaching practices in postsecondary STEM.

Cheyenne Woods

I am a graduate student in the Walter Lab. My research is exploring quantitative impacts of culturally responsive pedagogies in undergraduate biology. I plan to someday pursue a PhD in STEM Education.

Hannah Gill

I am a Mathematics-Statistics major with interests in global sustainability, equity, and inclusion. My undergraduate research is exploring the effects of using culturally relevant teaching approaches in a foundational majors' biology course.

Alexa Valdez

I am a biology major doing a qualitative meta-analysis of culturally responsive, relevant, and sustaining teaching practices in postsecondary STEM.

Nemah Abdulla

I am a senior Biology major and am exploring first year STEM students' lived experiences during their freshman year at university. We are coding focus group data to understand patterns through socio-cognitive career theory and intersectionality.

Chahat Asi

I am an undergraduate student in biology and am studying the lived experiences of first-year STEM majors, especially their decisions tied to changing majors.

Tony Chontong

I am a 2024 MS Biology graduate from the Walter Lab. My research explored how and in what ways learning about fermentation through a culturally responsive fish sauce lesson influenced students, especially SEAA students, taking a science majors’ biology course.

Emma Guerrero Jones

I am a 2021 MS Biology graduate from the Walter lab. In my thesis research, I studied how to reduce science denial about COVID-19 by helping students develop scientific argumentation skills in a general education biology course. I am now a community college instructor and middle school science teacher in the Central Valley.

Neha Mann

I am a psychology major studying the impacts of using creative assessments in general education biology courses. I am interested in a career in cognitive psychology.

Berenice Mendoza-Alcaraz

I am a pre-vet student studying the impacts of using creative assessments in general education biology courses. I hope to use my knowledge of science education to support the understanding and decision making of my future vet clients.

Arron Ridenour

I am 2023 MS Biology graduate from the Walter lab. My thesis explored how using civic online reasoning strategies can help students improve their ability to identify misinformation in a general education biology course.

Micah Johnson

I am a 2021 MS Biology graduate from the Walter Lab. In my thesis, I studied the influence of values affirmation activities on student success in college biology courses. I am now a tenured high school science teacher in the Central Valley.

Orlando Lopez

I am a 2021 graduate from the Walter Lab. I was an undergraduate Honors Program student in Biology, and explored social networks among student success change agents on a college campus. I am currently teaching K12 in the Fresno area and hope to someday hope to pursue a PhD in Science Education.

Patricia Fernandez

I was undergraduate student in the Lab who studied exploring faculty teaching practices, mental well-being, and technology knowledge, in particular how these have changed during the COVID19 crisis. I am now a graduate student in Washington.

Arashnoor Gill

I was an undergraduate researcher in the lab. We explored faculty teaching practices, mental well-being, and technology knowledge, in particular how these have changed during the COVID19 crisis. I am now in graduate school to become a school psychologist.

Makayla Bailey

I graduated in 2022 from the Walter Lab with a degree in Psychology. As an undergrad researcher, I studied faculty and graduate student teaching behavior and how these changed during the early parts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Now that I've graduated, I am moving on to a career in medicine, women's health, and psychiatry.

Lizette Castillo

I am a 2021 graduate of the Walter Lab. My research explored the role of creative, real-life based science assignments on supporting students' science knowledge and emotional well-being.

Jazmin Soto Olivera

I am a 2021 graduate of the Walter Lab. My research explored the role of creative, real-life based science assignments on supporting general education biology students' science knowledge and emotional well-being.

Glen Martin

I was undergraduate researcher 4 years in the Walter Lab, where I worked on several research projects. One sought to build theory around faculty teaching behavior through merging multiple psychological frameworks. Another explored biology majors' longitudinal attitude change and how attitudes correlated with concept inventory scores.

Miriam Kiran

I am a 2021 honors graduate from the Walter Lab. My research examined faculty teaching behavior through the lens of Ajzen's Theory of Planned Behavior.

Noel Fernandez

I am a Fall 2020 graduate from the Walter Lab. I studied supporting diversity and inclusion in STEM through using values affirmation strategies. After graduating, I went on to pursue my Master's in Higher Education at Fresno State.

Evelin Muñoz (lab veteran)

I am a 2020 graduate and 2018 B.S. Biology graduate from the Walter Lab. My survey-based thesis explored faculty teaching practices through both personal and organizational influences. I am now a tenure-track biology faculty member at Fresno City College.

Allyssa Gomez

I am a Fall 2019 honors program graduate of the Walter Lab. I used Social Network Analysis to understand the influence of knowledge exchange on students self-efficacy in the context of a First Year Experience (FYE) for students in STEM.

Lillian Senn

I'm a 2019 M.S. Biology graduate from the Walter Lab. My work explored faculty teaching behavior through the lens of Ajzen's Theory of Planned Behavior. I am now pursuing a PhD in Science Education.

Alejandro Mendez

I was an undergraduate researchers in the lab as double major in Biology and Psychology. My research project explored faculty teaching practices through methodological observations of teaching, survey work, and analysis of teaching planning materials. I am now the High Impact Practices Coordinator for the College of Science and Mathematics at Fresno State.

Ivan Ceballos-Madrigal

I'm a 2019 graduate from the Walter Lab with a B.S. in Psychology. At Fresno State, I studied the influences of academic workplace climate on instructional practices of faculty. I am now an award-winning high school teacher and robotics coach.

Edgar Muñoz

I am 2019 graduate of the Walter lab. My thesis explored the impact of a First Year Experience (FYE) for STEM students on the development of a 'STEM Identity.'

Shadi Adineh (lab veteran)

I am an associate of the Walter Research Lab and an 2017 M.S. Biology graduate from Fresno State. I am interested in exploring nature of science (NOS) knowledge among undergraduate English Language Learners and am pursuing my PhD in Science Education at Western Michigan University.

Mireya Lemus

I am a 2018 graduate with a B.S. in Natural Sciences. My research at Fresno State focused on analyzing teaching observation data of STEM Faculty using the COPUS. I am now a middle school science teacher.

Ephiram Bosse (lab veteran)

I am a 2018 B.S. Biology graduate from the Walter Lab. At Fresno State, I studied evolution knowledge and acceptance among undergrads.

Sanjana Krishnamurthy

I'm a 2017 M.S. Graduate from the Walter Lab. My project investigated the impact of different instructional strategies on students’ understanding about the cell cycle in a general education biology course. I am now a community college science instructor in the Central Valley.

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