Her area of specialty is Science Education. In addition to undergraduate and graduate courses in science methods, she has taught classes in teacher research, assessment, and health education. Leslie earned her Ph.D. in Science Education with an endorsement in Qualitative Research Methodology from the University of Georgia. She has published and presented at the regional, national, and international levels and her articles have appeared in Science Education, Teaching and Teacher Education, The Journal of Science Teacher Education, and Science and Children.