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P E O P L E

	Kevin Crowley, Director, is a professor of Learning Sciences and Policy in the School of Education and a Research Scientist at LRDC. His research focuses on all things informal. He holds a Ph.D. and MS in Developmental Psychology from Carnegie Mellon, and a BA in Psychology and Education from Swarthmore College.
	Karen Knutson, Associate Director, is a Research Associate at LRDC. Her research interests are in museum learning, art education, and organizational change. She holds a Ph.D. in Art Education from the University of British Columbia and an MA in Art History from Queens University.
	Lauren B. Allen, Ph. D. candidate in Learning Sciences and Policy, focuses on collective and community learning about socio-scientific issues such climate change and genetic engineering. She came to Pittsburgh from San Francisco's Exploratorium, and is in charge of all things science and learning at the Center for PostNatural History. She has a BS in Biology and Environmental Studies and a BA in Spanish Literature from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
	Rachel Nicole Bonnette, Ph.D. candidate in the Learning Sciences and Policy Program, is interested in researching informal learning experiences and their relationship to problem solving, creativity, and related skills, and is focused on improving outcomes and equity in education for disadvantaged children. She has an MPP and JD with certification in Child and Public Interest law from Loyola University Chicago.
	Kaleen Tison Povis, Ph.D. candidate in the Learning Sciences and Policy Program, researches family learning in informal settings and evaluates exhibits and programs to inform the design of educational experiences. She has a MA in Museum Studies from the University of Washington, Seattle and a BA in Psychology and Anthropology from Rice University. [more]
	Alison Bank, research specialist, has worked at UPCLOSE since 2010, when she was an undergraduate intern. She received her BA in 2012 from Pitt and is now a full time at UPCLOSE.
	Marti Louw, visiting scholar, is Director of the Learning Media Design Center at Carnegie Mellon University. Marti is a design researcher, with a background in science communication, exhibition design, and film-making. She holds an MDes from Carnegie Mellon and a BS in Biology from Carleton College.
	Mary Ann Steiner, visiting scholar, is a consultant focusing on informal learning and community engagement and a Ph.D. candidate in Learning Sciences and Policy. She has a background in youth developoment, and has worked at the Science Musuem of Minnesota, the National Science Foundation, and the Carnegie Museum of Natural History. She has an MEd from the University of Minnesota and a BFA from Bard College.
	Lisa Brahms, visiting scholar, is Director of Research and Learning at the Children's Museum of Pittsburgh. She focuses on making and tinkering in informal settings, and leads national initiatives on creating making spaces in museums and libraries. She was a graduate student researcher at UPCLOSE from 2003 to 2014, when she received her Ph.D. in Learning Sciences and Policy . She has an MSEd in Childhood and Museum Education from Bank Street College and a BA in Jewish Studies from Vassar.
	Peter Wardrip, visiting scholar, is a researcher at the Children's Museum of Pittsburgh focusing on informal learning, formal/informal collaborations, and making as learning. Peter has a Ph.D. in Learning Sciences and Policy from the University of Pittsburgh, an MSc from the Centre for Human Ecology in Edinburgh, Scotland, and a BS in Latin Education from the University of Wisconsin. [more]