She received her B.S. and M.S. in Food Science from Cornell University and her Ph.D. in Food Process Engineering from the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering at Purdue University. She is a member of Purdue’s Teaching Academy. Her primary research focuses on the development, implementation, and assessment of model-eliciting activities with realistic engineering contexts. She is currently the Director of Teacher Professional Development for the Institute for P-12 Engineering Research and Learning (INSPIRE). In this capacity, her research interests focus on the integration of engineering in primary education. She served on the Indiana State Department of Education committee that revised the state science standards to include engineering. She also served on the National Academy of Engineering committee Exploring Content Standards for Engineering Education in K-12.