About : Research Staff

Research Staff

   Heather Almquist

Heather is an associate researcher in the College of Arts and Sciences and a faculty affiliate in the Department of Geography at The University of Montana. She also serves as co-coordinator of the Montana Geographic Alliance. She received her Ph.D. in Quaternary Geology from Lund University, Sweden, specializing in landscape development and human-environment interactions over millennial to decadal time scales. Heather has over 30 years of research, teaching, and administrative experience. Since 2003, she has focused primarily on science education outreach.
 
   Sarah Halvorson

Sarah is a professor and chair of the Department of Geography at The University of Montana and a member of the Montana Geographic Alliance. She holds a Ph.D. in Geography from the University of Colorado at Boulder. Dr. Halvorson has diverse research experience including studies on environmental hazards, water resources, international development, and their impacts on communities, gender relations, and child survival.
 
   Lisa Blank

Lisa is a science education professor at The University of Montana. She is a former middle and high school science teacher and elementary science specialist. She completed her Ph. D. in Science Education and Environmental Education at Indiana University. Her teaching and scholarship reflect her interests in curriculum development, scientific inquiry, geospatial technology, and teacher professional development. Currently, she is focused on developing exemplary science curriculum that promotes the role of argumentation in science knowledge and the use of geospatial technologies as transformative data collection and analysis tools.
 
   Jeff Crews

Jeff is President of SpatialSci, Inc., a local Montana company providing geospatial training to K-12 teachers. He holds a B.A. in Biology and General Science, a M.Ed. in Technology in Education, and an Ed.D. in Curriculum and Instruction. He is a former middle school science teacher and has trained hundreds of Montana K-12 teachers in geospatial technologies through several NASA funded initiatives, as well as the Toyota Foundation GTEC program.
 
   Randy Knuth

Randy is a clinical professor of Leadership and Professional Studies at Washington State University Spokane and President of Knuth Research, Inc. He holds a Ph.D. in Instructional Systems Technology & Cognitive Science from Indiana University and has served as evaluator for numerous STEM education programs, including programs funded by NSF, NIH, HRSA, US Dept. of Ed., Group Health of Washington, and Toyota Foundation of America.
 
   Jennifer Estrada

Jennifer holds a B.A. in Anthropology from the University of Montana and is currently a student in the Master™s program for English Secondary Education at Northern Arizona University. She has expertise in markup languages and Google Earth mash-up, including conducting beta-testing for proprietary Google products. She has supported several NSF-funded science education projects for K-12 teachers and students.