CU Denver Alumna Builds Robust STEM Program, Earns Tenure
Julie McMorris | School of Education & Human Development Jun 17, 2024
Helen Douglass, a CU Denver alumna and previous outstanding graduate student, recently received tenure and a promotion to Associate Professor at the University of Tulsa (TU).
After completing her PhD studies in Science Education in the School of Education & Human Development, Douglass was hired at Tulsa in 2018 to build STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) education programming at the University. “I was hired to reorganize the teaching methods courses, and I also create and design new courses in design thinking and introduction to STEM education for all majors,” Douglass said. At TU, students from any major can opt in to all types of electives. The courses that Douglass designed are hugely popular among education majors and non-education majors alike.
“Offering the courses to non-majors allowed students that weren't necessarily going to be STEM teachers to develop their skill set and interest level in all things STEM, perhaps running clubs or being more aware of policy issues,” Douglass said.
In addition, Douglass used design thinking protocols to develop a STEM education minor and secured funding to put in a STEM education maker space. A maker space is a collaborative workspace for making, learning, and exploring that also houses many types of tools and materials. TU uses that maker space to provide design thinking experiences and hands-on math and science learning for prospective teachers and those interested in STEM education.
Douglass is grateful for the education at CU Denver that prepared her for this role. “My professors were all focused on thinking through how research can improve life for other people,” she said.
In deciding her next path while studying at CU Denver, Douglass knew she wanted to go into inquiry based creative work but was not sure at first if she wanted to become a professor. After being selected for two competitive research experiences, the Sandra K. Abell Summer Institute for Doctoral Students through NARST and the Jhumki Basu Equity and Ethics Scholars Award, Douglass felt encouraged to pursue a career in academia. “I had external support in addition to really enjoying my studies and growing personally, and that led me to think about a career as a professor.” Douglass was also encouraged by the support and expertise of her advisor, Dr. Geeta Verma.
All of that led Douglass to finding her role at TU where she continued to be successful. Douglass is the first person in her department to have been elected to the Oklahoma Center for Humanities, a research think tank. The topic of that think tank was play. “The idea of play has influenced my maker space work. The idea of playing with ideas and materials,” Douglass said. “I'm interested in how materials change us and how they may influence how we approach different problems, how we approach content and what happens when we interact with materials,” she added.
In earning her tenure, Douglass said she felt an immense sense of accomplishment. “It was both a relief and an invitation to keep working and keep pursuing lines of inquiry that were interesting to me and that provide students opportunity,” she said. Her goal is to continue to make things better for more people in more spaces, especially in STEM.
Douglass plans to continue developing the concept of iterative design thinking as a research model, as well as Data Engagement. Her work includes exploring the intersection of formal and informal spaces, gender equity in science and engineering and visual methodologies.
As Douglass continues to build up the STEM program at TU, she looks back fondly on CU Denver for helping to give her the skills, knowledge, and experience to take on her role successfully. “The professors always encouraged reflecting on how your research interacts with other people and other ideas, as well as how your research informs your teaching,” she said. “All the things I got to learn and do at CU Denver launched me into what I do now and how I think about the future.”