About Us

Dr. Andrea Burrows is an assistant professor in Secondary Science Education at the University of Wyoming. She has worked extensively with STEM pedagogy and partnerships since 1992, and since 2006 has been conducting research in those fields. She taught science in middle and high schools for 12 years in Florida and Virginia. She has authored peer-reviewed articles, presented at national/international conferences, taught undergraduate/graduate courses, and conducted professional development workshops nationally/internationally. She has recently received funding for STEM education grants from Wyoming's Department of Education and the National Science Foundation.

Dr. Mike DiPompeo is a professional astronomer, currently working as a postdoctoral researcher with Professor Adam Myers. From the beginning of his academic career, he has had an interest in both teaching and research. After obtaining his B.S. in astronomy-physics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, he moved to the mountains and attended graduate school at the University of Wyoming. He completed his PhD in 2012 and is now on his first postdoc. Mike has remained heavily involved in teaching and public outreach throughout his time at Wyoming, as he thoroughly enjoys not only making new discoveries about the Universe, but sharing them with others. When not studying quasars, you can find him either behind a guitar and microphone in his music room or wandering through the woods.

Debbie French is a PhD candidate in secondary science education at the University of Wyoming. She formerly taught high school physics, physical science, and engineering in Ohio for eight years. She was a member of the 2012 NASA/IPAC Teacher Archive Research Program (NITARP) and served as co-PI on the NSF-funded Faculty Professional Development in Design, Construction, Assembly, and Analysis of a Solid Body Guitar Design (2010-2013) and LEAD with GUITARS in STEM (2014-present). Her research interests include faculty professional development, research experiences for teachers, and how to implement astronomy research in the classroom.

Shannon Hall is a science journalist, hooked on the power of language to elucidate the inner-workings of subatomic particles, the search for other life forms and the opaque gas enshrouding the Big Bang. She earned her B.A. from Whitman College in physics-astronomy and philosophy, and her M.S. from the University of Wyoming in astronomy. A compulsion to share the stories strung throughout the Universe will lead her 3,000 miles from the forests to the mountains and soon to the city, where she will receive a second M.S from New York University in science, health, and environmental reporting.

Professor Adam Myers has conducted astronomy research for a decade, co-authoring nearly 100 peer-reviewed publications. Dr. Myers has worked with telescopes in Australia, Africa, South America and Europe as well as across the U.S. Professor Myers' research, which has been funded by NASA and the NSF, uses computer-intensive techniques to study quasars — black holes at the centers of distant galaxies that are swallowing large amounts of gas. This violent process makes quasars visible across the Universe, creating ideal beacons to map the cosmos. Professor Myers is an award-winning teacher of introductory astronomy courses at the university level.

Andria Schwortz is a graduate student in astronomy at the University of Wyoming and is an Associate Professor of Physics and Astronomy at Quinsigamond Community College in Worcester, MA. Her PhD research is interdisciplinary, studying how the clustering properties of quasars depend upon their radio loudness, and characterizing novice/expert traits in students working with large datasets. Andria is originally from New York City and calls the Boston area her home.