Meet the Team
The Seeds of Science/Roots of Reading Development Team
Jacqueline Barber is the co-principal investigator for Seeds of Science/Roots of Reading, is associate director of the Lawrence Hall of Science (LHS), leading the LHS Center for Curriculum Development and Implementation and the GEMS Program. She has worked in K–12 science and mathematics education for over 25 years, in curriculum and professional development, and is the author of many inquiry science teacher’s guides. She also has a background in scientific research. She has a degree in physiology and did research in endocrinology on a Fulbright scholarship at the University of Strasbourg, France. more
Dr. P. David Pearson is the co-principal investigator for Seeds of Science/Roots of Reading, is dean of the Graduate School of Education at UCB and a faculty member in the Language and Literacy Program. His research focuses on reading instruction and assessment. Before joining UCB in 2001, Dean Pearson was the John A. Hannah distinguished professor of education at Michigan State and co-director of the Center for the Improvement of Early Reading Achievement (CIERA). He has written and co-edited numerous books and articles, including the Handbook of Reading Research. more
Josiah “Josey” Baker is a science curriculum developer for the Seeds of Science/Roots of Reading program. He has helped develop and refine units at every grade band, and has authored numerous Seeds of Science/Roots of Reading student books. He is also a member of the After School KidzScience (ASKS) development team. Prior to his work at the Lawrence Hall of Science, he attended Hampshire College where he focused on science education. He has worked with students of all ages, and taught in a variety of contexts.
Lynn Barakos is the lead author of the Seeds /Roots unit for grades 2–3, Designing Mixtures, and a contributor to assessment materials for many units. She is a Professional Development Specialist working in several programs at the Lawrence Hall of Science. She has taught and designed chemistry programs for pre-school to high school, developed teacher education programs, and consulted on standards-based, science education reform. She has a bachelor’s degree in Biology from the University of California, Berkeley and a secondary single-subject credential in life sciences from St. Mary’s College.
Kevin Beals is a curriculum specialist and professional developer. His specialty is generating and implementing creative ideas to make learning engaging. He is author of a number of Seeds of Science/Roots of Reading student books, GEMS curriculum guides, science toy kits, and primary author of the GEMS Curriculum Sequence, Space Science for Grades 3-5. He has taught science since 1981, led teacher’s workshops since 1990, and is the primary designer and teacher of the University of California, Berkeley course, “Communicating Science.” He has also written and recorded two albums of science education songs with the band The Bungee Jumpin’ Cows.
Lincoln Bergman is lead editor for the Seeds of Science/Roots of Reading unit development team and has also authored several student books. Mr. Bergman is Associate Director and Principal Editor of GEMS and as such has coordinated the collaborative origination, authoring, development, field testing, editorial, design, and publication process for more than 80 curriculum units and pedagogical handbooks over the past 25 years. In addition to his publication experience, his background includes radio journalism and other media narration and production. He has written and published many poems for young people on science and mathematics topics.
Dr. Alison Billman is literacy research specialist for the Seeds of Science/Roots of Reading development team. She earned her Ph.D. in 2008 in Educational Psychology at Michigan State University where she worked with Nell Duke and also collaborated on projects with P. David Pearson and Gina Cervetti. Her research interests are rooted in 14 years of first grade teaching experience and focus on language and literacy development across the curriculum, particularly in the primary grades. She also has expertise in instruction and assessment of primary grade children's informational text comprehension. Alison is providing leadership for the research and development of the planned Seeds of Science/Roots of Reading curriculum for kindergarten and first grade.
Dr. Marco Antonio Bravo led the English language development aspect of the program and served as a literacy developer. His research includes a focus on science as a context for the development of English proficiency. He is an assistant professor at Santa Clara University.
Dr. Jill Castek is a trained reading specialist with a decade of experience working with students in grades K–12. She earned a Ph.D. in 2008 from the University of Connecticut in the area of Cognition and Instruction where she studied the new literacies of online reading comprehension. Jill supports Seeds of Science/Roots of Reading research efforts in literacy and works on the development of the integrated science-literacy guides as well as the strategy guides. She regularly presents at national and international literacy conferences and publishes in both reading and library media journals.
Dr. Gina Cervetti leads the literacy development and research components of Seeds of Science/Roots of Reading. Her research concerns the role of text in learning science and the potential of science–literacy integration to support students’ academic literacy. Previously, Dr. Cervetti was a researcher for CIERA. Her research has appeared in book chapters and journals. She is on the faculty of the School of Education at the University of Colorado at Boulder.
Ashley Chase is editor of the Seeds of Science/Roots of Reading student books. She leads the student book development, from conception to editing to art specs, and has authored several of the books. Ms. Chase has almost two decades of experience in writing and editing a diverse range of materials, from children’s fiction to museum exhibit text to grammar textbooks. She was formerly the lead editor of California Chronicles, a history magazine for 4th–8th graders published by Cobblestone. She is a magna cum laude graduate of Yale University.
Mary Connolly has developed community outreach programs and instructional materials in environmental science, biotechnology, and health science at the Lawrence Hall of Science, the UC Botanical Garden and the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab for over 20 years. She has directed life science programs for high school students and teachers, and coordinated partnership programs between scientists and teachers. Mary was instrumental in developing the Variation and Adaption, and Digestion and Body Systems units.
Seth Corrigan is a research and assessment specialist. He leads the development of many of the project’s curriculum assessments as well as its research measures. He has taught elementary, middle school and high school science and math; and has worked as a teacher and researcher on numerous projects sponsored by the National Science Foundation and the US Department of Energy. His graduate training is in program design and evaluation at the University of California at Los Angeles.
Jonathan Curley is a curriculum developer who works with both the science and the literacy curriculum teams, assists with the English Language Learner components of the program, and has authored numerous Seeds of Science/Roots of Reading student books. He is a former bilingual teacher who taught 6th, 3rd, and 2nd grades, and is a graduate of Oberlin College and a former Thomas J. Watson Fellow.
Dr. Rena Dorph is the director of the Center for Research, Evaluation, and Assessment at the Lawrence Hall of Science. She has supervised several research projects on the efficacy of Seeds of Science/Roots of Reading. Rena has worked in the field of educational research and evaluation for 15 years. Rena received her doctorate from the University of California, Berkeley in Educational Policy, Organization, Measurement, and Evaluation and her master’s degree in the sociology of education from Teachers College at Columbia University.
John Erickson has developed lessons and has worked with students and teachers at Lawrence Hall of Science for over 20 years. He has helped write and develop books and activities for Seeds of Science/Roots of Reading, mainly in physical science and astronomy. He has also co-authored and contributed to several GEMS guides, material in the Global System Science curriculum, and the Planetarium Activities for Student Success series.
Dr. Megan Goss is a curriculum developer and researcher with the literacy team at the Lawrence Hall of Science. She is a former elementary teacher and earned a doctorate in Education in Language, Literacy and Culture from the University of California, Berkeley. Megan was a lead author for the Gravity and Magnetism, Variation and Adaptation, Digestion and Body Systems, Weather and Water, Models of Matter, Chemical Changes, and Aquatic Ecosystems units and has also authored several books for Seeds of Science/Roots of Reading.
Catherine Halversen is the primary author for the Seeds of Science/Roots of Reading units Shoreline Science and Aquatic Ecosystems. She serves as Co-Director of the Marine Activities, Resources & Education (MARE) program, a whole-school K–8 marine science immersion program from LHS. Ms. Halversen serves as the primary course instructor and leader for the NSF-funded California Center for Ocean Sciences Education Excellence college course, Communicating Ocean Sciences. She is a former high school science teacher, and holds an MA in Science from the University of California, Berkeley.
Elfrieda (Freddy) H. Hiebert, Ph.D., is senior adviser to development of Seeds of Science/Roots of Reading student books and developer of the TExT accessibility model used in the books. She is a visiting research professor at UCB. She has published over 100 research articles and chapters on literacy acquisition, especially among low-income children and English Language Learners.
Kimi Hosoume is the primary author for the Seeds of Science/Roots of Reading unit Soil Habitats, and has co-authored a number of GEMS and PEACHES guides. For over 28 years, Ms. Hosoume has directed projects involving professional development and curriculum development for preschool through eighth grade classroom teachers. Currently, she is a curriculum developer for the Full Option Science Systems (FOSS) program. Hosoume has a Bachelor of Arts in Biology, and both an Elementary and Secondary Science Teaching Credential from the University of California, Berkeley.
Dr. Suzanna Loper is a curriculum developer and researcher who leads the science curriculum team. She is a former 6th grade science teacher and earned her Ph.D. in Education in Math, Science and Technology from the University of California, Berkeley.
Trudihope Schlomowitz is the publications manager for Seeds of Science/Roots of Reading, responsible for overseeing the scheduling, editorial, and production work of the curriculum development and editorial/production teams to ensure the high quality of all print components and kit materials. She also project manages this process with the program publisher, Delta Education. Ms. Schlomowitz has over three decades of hands-on and managerial experience in both academic and trade publishing.
Elizabeth Shafer is a curriculum developer for the Seeds of Science/Roots of Reading literacy team. She has worked extensively on Seeds of Science/Roots of Reading units for grades 3–5. She taught 2nd and 3rd grades for a number of years in Oakland, California. Ms. Shafer is a graduate of Yale University and holds an MA in Education from the University of California, Berkeley.
Craig Strang is a senior advisor to development of the Seeds of Science/Roots of Reading instructional model. He is Associate Director of Lawrence Hall of Science and leads the California Center for Ocean Sciences Education Excellence and MARE: Marine Activities, Resources & Education, a K-8 professional development/curriculum development program that works with whole schools to increase learning and language acquisition for English Language Learners. He received his B.A. in Environmental Studies from the University of California, Santa Cruz.
Carrie Strohl is a curriculum author on the literacy team. She leads development of the strategy guides. A graduate of Marquette University with an MA from Cardinal Stritch University in Milwaukee, Ms. Strohl brings to the program many years' experience as a teacher in Milwaukee public schools.
Jennifer Tilson is a curriculum and professional developer for Seeds of Science/Roots of Reading. She is a former first and second grade teacher, holds a California teaching credential, and earned an M.A. in language, literacy, and culture from the University of California, Berkeley. Jen is the lead literacy author on the units Weather and Water, Light Energy, Models of Matter, and Planets and Moons. She also led the literacy development of the Seeds of Science/Roots of Reading units at grades 4–`5, and has authored several student books.
Traci Wierman leads the Professional Development efforts that support effective Seeds of Science/Roots of Reading curriculum implementation. She is also the Great Explorations in Math and Science (GEMS) Network Director, working with more than 70 Public School Organizations, Universities, and Public Science Centers across the country and around the world. She holds a Bachelors Degree from CSU, Chico, with a Multiple Subjects Credential and a Gifted and Talented Certification. She is an inter-disciplinary thinker who has spent 17 years as a K - 8 educator and 10 years as a museum professional.
Additional Members of the Science Team
- Jennifer King Chen
- Carolyn Willard
Additional Members of the Student Book Development Team
- Sara Granovetter
- Gary Griggs
- Carolyn Jaynes
- Roger Loper
- Nicole Parizeau, former editor
Additional Members of the Research, Evaluation and Assessment Team
- Patty Kreikemeier
- Kristin Nagy Catz
- Heidi Skolnik
- Maia Werner-Avidon
