Our Team
Prof. Allison Gonsalves
I received a PhD from McGill University in Science Education in 2010, and thereafter completed a post-doctoral fellowship at the Université de Montréal in the area of informal science education. I teach graduate and undergraduate courses on secondary science teaching methods and sociocultural issues in math and science education. I am currently the Director of Graduate Programs in the Department of Integrated Studies in Education, and the Director of the Science Education Laboratories in the same department.
I am the co-chair of the European Science Education Research Association’s Science Identities Special Interest Group, and I serve on the editorial board of both the Journal for Research in Science Teaching and Gender & Education.
My research is motivated by pressing concerns about the unequal access that many historically under-represented groups (such as women and people of colour) in Science, Technology and Engineering (STE) disciplines face, and the concomitant privilege that these disciplines have in contemporary society. My research seeks to understand processes of inclusion and exclusion in STE education through the lens of “science identities”. I carry out this research with students in post-secondary STE contexts (involving graduate students in physics programs, undergraduate science majors and novice teachers in teacher education programs), and in out-of-school-time (OST) contexts (e.g., after-school programs in community centres and schools with youth). My current research program involves the tracing of "science identity trajectories" across learning spaces, and the intersections of social identities experiences that shape these movements. I have worked extensively in the area of gender and physics education research, and I am currently engaged in two SSHRC funded projects that investigate the role of informal science education and engagement in sustainability- and equity-related informal activities on post-secondary students' identity work in STE fields.
Marie-Lyne Grenier (they/them/she/her)
PhD Candidate
Marie-Lyne Grenier (she/they) is a PhD candidate in McGill’s Department of Integrated Studies in Education. Marie-Lyne’s research interests include equity-focused healthcare education, the use of critical pedagogies in healthcare education, and the effects of oppressive healthcare education on population health. Marie-Lyne’s PhD research aims to better understand the educational paradigms and approaches that support an ethical/political orientation toward equity and justice for entry-to-practice healthcare students.
Marie-Lyne graduated with a bachelor’s degree in archaeology and health studies from Queen’s University, a master’s degree in occupational therapy from the University of Western Ontario, and a clinical doctorate in rehabilitation sciences from Temple University (USA). Marie-Lyne has worked as a licensed occupational therapist in various contexts, both in the USA and Canada, since 2010. Marie-Lyne has taught in the occupational therapy department at Alvernia University (Pennsylvania, USA) and now teaches part-time as a Faculty Lecturer in the occupational therapy department at McGill University.
Research Team Members
Emily Sprowls (she/her)
PhD Candidate
I’m a science educator that loves exploring the environment with youth and teachers, and I believe strongly in the power of student-led education. I’m interested in the role of collaborative learning among teachers, scientists, and youth in justice-oriented science education. My doctoral research, co-supervised by Dr. Blane Harvey, is in the context of after-school science clubs, with the goal of modeling new ways of learning for youth-led environmental justice. I teach courses in elementary and secondary science teaching methods in the Faculty of Education, and I am excited to be helping launch our new garden and outdoor learning space. Before coming to McGill I spent 15 years learning alongside teenagers in classrooms and school gardens as a science teacher. I’ve also enjoyed working alongside scientists on citizen science projects, and with teachers in Critical Friends Groups around the world. I’m mom to two sons and one doggie, and I’m always up for a hike, bike ride, or kayak paddle!
Shamnaz Arifin Mim (she/her)
PhD Candidate
Shamnaz has been extensively working in education sector in Bangladesh since 2013. Her local, national, and international work with teachers, teacher educators, and educational organizations have shaped her research and career trajectory. Through her PhD research at McGill, she aims to explore how women science teachers’ unique experiences contribute to their identity development as science teachers. Her broad research interests focus on science teacher education, social justice in science education, identity work and arts-based methodology. Her education background includes MA in Development Studies with specialization on Gender and Education from Erasmus University, and MEd and BEd in Science Education from University of Dhaka. She is a Gold Medalist of University of Dhaka and a Deans Excellence Fellow of McGill. She has been awarded with Margaret Gillet Fellowship, Jackie Kirk Fellowship, Walter and Marsh Fellowship for research on women.
Emma McKay (they/them)
PhD Student
Emma studies student organizing in physics departments through affective and anarchist lenses. How is it that students build power to change their educational contexts together? Emma also organizes with the McGill TA and invigilator union, AGSEM. In their spare time, they watch birds, stare at plants, cycle, and weave with leaves.
Katrina Olsen (she/her)
MA Student
Katrina holds a Bachelor of Education and Music from the University of Toronto. After spending 5 years in the education system, she decided to pursue her Masters after finding her passion for informal STEM education while learning about physics and astronomy via YouTube videos. Her research interests are in STEM education, aesthetics, online education, and informal education.
Raine Yuan (she/her)
MA Student
I am an M.A. student in the Department of Integrated Studies in Education at McGill University. I am a registered early childhood educator (0-12 years). My background is in both children's education and STEAM education, and I have been able to work on projects about STEAM learning content design and facilitate STEAM workshops for different age groups learners, and various backgrounds families. I want to explore more on how to support preservice teachers in effectively integrating STEM education in early and elementary educational learning environments. My research interests are preservice teachers training, youth STEM education, and STEM outreaching learning.
Carolina Cruz-Vinaccia (she/her)
MA Student
Carolina has been pursuing her Masters in Education & Society in DISE since 2022. She holds a Masters in Environmental Law from McGill University (2011) and a GradDip in Environmental Assessment from Concordia University (2015), and comes to Education after working in informal STEM education for the past 7 years at the Trottier Space Institute at McGill and the McGill Physics Department. She has also been actively involved in equity and justice work in STEM since 2017. Her research interests include equity and justice in STEM education, informal science learning, and inclusive science communication.
Alumni
Daphne completed a Masters in Education and Society at McGill, under the supervision of Prof. Blane Harvey. I work and research at the intersection of climate justice, youth empowerment, community engagement and eco emotions. I’m currently working on my thesis, which focuses on how we can use hope in teaching methods around sustainability to empower students outside of the classroom. I’m currently working with the youth-led nonprofit Sustainable Youth Canada, aiming to bridge the gap between academic research and community empowerment and mobilize the next generation of activists to fight for our future. Having worked as a teaching assistant at the university, an ESL teacher and an educational facilitator at the YWCA, I think a lot about not only the flaws, but also the opportunities presented by the current education system. Outside of this, I love to bake and cook plant-based meals, take a hike, learn Spanish, and explore new places!
Daphne Chalmers, MA
Julianna Zelt, MA (she/her)
Julianna graduated from McGill with a Bachelors of Education in Secondary Science and Technologies in 2019. She completed her Master of Arts in Education and Society - Math and Science Option. Her thesis focuses on the identity impacts of paired elementary preservice teachers and undergraduate science majors co-investigating science inquiry projects with youth in an after school club. Julianna’s research interests include informal science learning, science capital, science identity and the politics of recognition.
Sarah Doody, PhD
Sarah is currently a post-doctoral fellow at the University of Waterloo in the Department of Knowledge Integration. Her research explores writing and technical communication in science domains using socio-rhetorical approaches to language and writing.
