She studies how students (K-12 and undergraduate) make meaning of natural and physical sciences through reading, writing and speaking experiences. Her research group uses discourse and communication theories to understanding how students identify and resolve their misconceptions. Most recently, she has found that writing-to-learn interventions can significantly improve the performance of students who are underrepresented in certain fields (e.g., women in engineering, minorities and first-generation college students in the life sciences). Meena has been teaching science and interdisciplinary pedagogy courses for the past 10 years and is deeply committed to preparing excellent K-12 STEM teachers to be sensitive to the needs of diverse learners.