About Us

Kirsten Daehler

Director

Kirsten is an advocate for equitable and engaging STEM education. She is the founder and director of Making Sense of SCIENCE — a teacher centric and respectful way for K–12 educators to learn the complex art of teaching. This impactful model of professional learning strengthens classroom practices and has a proven track record of increasing student achievement, especially for multilingual learners.

Her research interests and publications are internationally known and focus on professional learning to support teacher pedagogical content knowledge, children’s science thinking, and science leadership development. Current areas of emphasis and innovation include using a lens of equity for boosting data fluency, integrating science and literacy, implementation of standards, supporting administrator and leadership development, formative assessment, program evaluation, and out-of-school time learning.
Kirsten began as a high school chemistry and physics teacher, and is always a teacher at heart. She holds a BA in chemistry from Wellesley College and an MA in secondary science education from San Francisco State University. When she isn’t doing something sciency in education, you can find her playing ultimate frisbee, charging around a soccer field, traveling with family and friends, and serving her community.

Karen Lionberger

Associate Director

Karen has a passion for creating meaningful and inclusive teaching and learning opportunities. This love is rooted in a decade of teaching high school biology, physics, and environmental science. Now with MSS, she sparks joy in learning with educators and administrators and brings a wealth of experience developing equity-driven curriculum, professional learning, and assessments.

Prior to joining WestEd, Karen led national education reform efforts that cultivated a productive pipeline between science and mathematics education research, policy, and innovative resources and professional learning for educators and administrators to increase equitable STEM classrooms for all students. Her research has focused on educative curriculum design, supporting STEM administrative leadership, teacher pedagogical knowledge of using data and mathematical/statistical reasoning when modeling, and effective formative assessment design. 

Her own educational journey includes earning a BS in Marine Biology from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, along with an MS in Educational Leadership and Policy and PhD in Science Education from the University of Georgia. When not working, she spends as much time as possible outdoors and traveling — a trail run or hike, kayaking, or biking is best when done with friends and family in different countries!

Nico Janik

Senior Professional Learning Specialist

Nico had a transformational experience as an educator at Camp Making Sense of SCIENCE that led her to working on the MSS team at WestEd. She is excited to share her lived experiences as an engineer and a K–8 district STEM coordinator through professional learning with educators.

Prior to working at WestEd, Nico taught science and engineering in K-5 classrooms and supported all K-8 teachers in the district in science, engineering and NGSS as the district’s STEM coordinator. This included supporting the NGSS early adoption in her district and developing a district-wide Makerspace program that was internationally recognized. Nico’s areas of interest are in creating learning environments that spark curiosity, innovation, and problem-solving in a way that promotes a sense of inclusion and belonging in STEM.

Nico has a BA in Environmental Studies and a BS in Mechanical Engineering from UC Santa Barbara and a MS Engineering, Product Design from Stanford University. She also holds a Multiple Subject Teaching Credential.  When not working, she enjoys hanging out with friends and family, making things with tools and going on hikes in the San Francisco Bay Area.  She also loves to travel for work, especially to places off the beaten path.

Sara Salisbury

Professional Learning Specialist & Research Associate

Sara creates pathways for meaningful, equitable, and innovative STEAM learning — places where teachers and students engage in sense-making that integrates the beauty and complexity of the inner and outer worlds. With Making Sense of SCIENCE, she draws on her many interests and a broad swath of experiences, including as an ecologist, informal science educator, educational researcher, lab tech, and painter. Her expertise lies at the intersection of place-based education, outdoor education, data science, statistics, and data visualization. 

Sara enjoys collaborating with scientists, STEAM educators and researchers to find innovative ways to leverage technology to support equitable, data-driven teaching and learning. Her current work at WestEd focuses on co-designing curricula and professional learning to amplify the voices and stories of teachers, students, and places across the United States. Cultivating student and teacher identities, self-efficacy, communication skills, place-consciousness, and awareness of the human endeavors in STEAM are vital in this process. 

Sara received her BS in Environmental Science from Allegheny College, MS in Biology from Texas State University, and her PhD in Mathematics and Science Education from Middle Tennessee State University.

Leticia Perez

Senior Professional Learning Specialist in Data Science

Leticia is an innovative and dedicated educator with a rich background as a high school science teacher, deeply committed to reimagining the educational landscape. She brings a wealth of experience to her mission of creating inclusive and engaging learning environments. Her approach includes championing the importance of teachers exploring their own identities and perspectives to construct educational spaces that celebrate diversity and promote student belonging. 

Currently, she collaborates with researchers to ensure her curriculum designs are grounded in data, the latest technologies, and equitable educational strategies. Her leadership in co-creating data-rich curricula and professional development programs has been instrumental in amplifying the voices of teachers and students alike ensuring their experiences are included in the educational narrative. 

Prior to coming to WestEd,  she worked with the UCLA Science Project within CenterX and focused on integrating storytelling into science education, as well as held a pioneering role in the STEM+C3 initiative, where she infused computational thinking and data literacy into teacher training. She is looking forward to bringing her innovative spirit and unwavering commitment to the Making Sense of Science professional learning and shaping the future of STEM education, one classroom at a time.

Nicole Wong

Senior Research Associate

Nicole Wong is a Senior Research Associate in Science and Engineering at WestEd who has worked with the Making Sense of SCIENCE program since 2005. She enjoys seeking to understand how professional learning experiences, technological tools, and curriculum materials can improve STEM teaching and learning. Much of her research has focused on the study of the relationships among district support, STEM professional learning, teacher knowledge, classroom practice, and student learning. Outside of work, she uses her educational know-how to train her cat to do circus tricks.

She is a Montessori-trained former early childhood educator who has also taught science methods to pre-service teachers. Dr. Wong received a BS in Cognitive Science from Northwestern University and an MA and PhD in Human Development and Education from the University of California, Berkeley. 

Rasha Elsayed

Research Associate II

​​Rasha is a dedicated education professional who believes in the power of education to transform lives. As a Research Associate in the Science and Engineering Program at Wested, she engages in research with Making Sense of SCIENCE, where she applies her expertise in teacher professional development, research, and evaluation methods to make a difference in students’ lives by studying effective teaching practices. With a passion for broadening equitable opportunities for STEM learning , Rasha has worked on projects that help Indigenous youth, youth with diverse physical abilities, neurodiverse youth, and multilingual learners thrive in their learning environments. She supports the MSS team members in approaching their work from a place of humility and curiosity in order to learn and expand on our areas of work. 

Prior to joining WestEd, Rasha worked for various non-profit organizations, including the United Nations, as a program evaluator and an administrator at a local high school in the Bay Area. Rasha’s educational background includes an MA in International Comparative Education from Stanford University in 2013 and an MA in Public Policy and Management from the University of London in 2008. When not working, Rasha is deeply committed to supporting her local community’s educational initiatives and enjoys spending time with her son and husband. 

Corynn Del Core

Lead Digital & Print Media Artist

Corynn is a graphic designer and illustrator who works with several Science & Engineering project teams at WestEd, where she designs educational resources and products that support STEM teaching and learning. She specializes in information design and enjoys collaborating with researchers and educators to help clarify ideas and communicate them effectively. She is passionate about creative problem solving and using design to make information accessible and engaging.

Prior to her current role, her work has focused on collaborating with interdisciplinary teams in education research and behavioral health to tell their stories and bring their data to life. She received a BA in Graphic Design from Portland State University in 2017. When she’s not designing, she can be found painting murals and learning to grow vegetables in her neighborhood’s community garden.

Kathy Huncosky

Senior Professional Learning Specialist

Kathy has been an integral part of the Making Sense of SCIENCE team for more than a decade. She enjoys the opportunity to facilitate deeply meaningful learning opportunities for teachers and leaders nationwide. Kathy brings a wealth of experience as a K–8 science classroom teacher and school district science education specialist to developing respectful and impactful professional learning for teachers and district leaders. Traveling around the country to lead MSS professional learning had made her an expert traveler and a skilled user of remote learning technologies. 

When not leading MSS professional learning, Kathy tends to quickly wear out her walking shoes on treks with friends and family!  She also enjoys the challenge of creating interesting dinners from what she has on hand.