Heidi Cian
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Heidi Cian, Ph.D.

STEM Education Specialist

Hometown: Andrews, SC
Pronouns: she, her, hers
Education: PhD in Science Curriculum & Instruction at Clemson University
Contact Info:
  • hcian@mmsa.org

Projects:

About Me:
Something you’re proud of at MMSA: I’m inspired to be part of a culture where we are always trying to improve what we do in our work and in our interactions with one another, leveraging this commitment to leave a conscious and purposeful mark on the field and practices of STEM education.
What is your teaching/learning philosophy:All learning is identity work. As such, learning is meaningful when it is considered as relational rather than individual, and identity development happens through the development of the identity of the social group.
STEM passion area: Anatomy and physiology. I love the empowerment that can come from knowing and understanding the human body, and I am especially excited about how family and cultural knowledge aligns with Western scientific understandings of how the body operates.
What did you do before you worked at MMSA: Postdoctoral Research Associate at Florida International University

What do you like to do in your free time: Hiking in the mountains, playing with my cat

My Biography

Publications

Facilitating marginalized youths’ identification with STEM through everyday science talk: The critical role of parental caregivers. Science Education, 106(1).
Sashaying across party lines: Evidence of and arguments for the use of validity evidence in qualitative education research. Review of Research in Education, 45.
Constructing “STEM identity”: Test of an expanded identity model. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 59(3).

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Project Funders

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grants No. DRL 17131341 and DRL 2115229, as well as the Noyce Foundation, the STEM Next Opportunity Fund, and the Davis Family Foundation.

Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the funders listed above.

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