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Profiles

Sierra Webber

Title/s:  Project Manager

What got you interested in joining this team?

I was immediately inspired by the pedagogy of this project, as it aligns perfectly with my professional interests and personal values. I strongly believe in the importance of providing equitable education to individuals from all backgrounds. My initial interest in joining this team stemmed from the impressive diversity among the faculty members, both in academic disciplines and individual perspectives. This diversity fosters a rich, collaborative environment where everyone works together toward a common goal. Leveraging our collective strengths, we have developed a program that I believe has the potential to create meaningful and lasting change in STEM education. 

What was one great moment you remember from the workshops? 

One great moment I remember was during a workshop led by Sandra Kauffman. Kauffman led a movement exercise meant to teach the students about the anatomy of a neuron. From my perspective, the high school students initially seemed a little hesitant about having to stand up and move around the room. It was really great to see all of the students - especially those that tend to be more timid - immediately become engaged in the activity.  

About

Sierra Webber oversees the day-to-day operations of the program, including scheduling, record-keeping, correspondence and budget management. Webber graduated from Loyola University Chicago with a bachelor’s in psychology. During her undergraduate studies, she worked in the Center for Research in Child Development, a developmental research lab at Loyola, and completed an honors thesis under the mentorship of Elizabeth Wakefield, Ph.D. Throughout her time in the lab, Webber focused on how the use of hand gestures influences learning. Her thesis investigated how individual differences, including working memory capacity and spontaneous gesture rate, influences one's propensity to benefit from gesture. Her work provides insight into how individuals learn differently with the hopes to further cultivate individualized learning in classroom settings.