Principal Investigators
- Diandra Leslie-Pelecky, Ph.D. is Professor of Physics at The University of Texas at Dallas. A magnetician by training, she is now an internationally recognized researcher in the biomedical applications of nanostructured magnetic materials. Her research, which is funded by the National Science Foundation and National Institutes of Health, has as its goals improving magnetic resonance imaging abilities and developing cancer treatments that are effective, but without the debilitating effects of present-day chemotherapy.
Dr. Leslie-Pelecky is also nationally recognized for her work in outreach to K-12 schools and the general public. She currently is Director of Project Fulcrum, a NSF-funded GK-12 project in its seventh year, and has developed a college-level physical science course sequence for future elementary and middle school teachers. In addition to her publications in research and education journals, she is the author of a popular science book, The Physics of NASCAR.
- David Royster, Ph.D. is the Director of the Center for Mathematics, Science, and Technology Education at the University of North Carolina-Charlotte. He has been in this position since July 2000, except for a one year leave to serve as a Program Officer in the Elementary, Secondary and Informal Education Division of NSF's Education and Human Resources Directorate. In his 25 years at UNCC, he has served as the Associate Chairman of the Department of Mathematics and the Coordinator for Computing in the same department. His interests are the use of computers in the teaching of mathematics, computer algebra systems, and dynamic geometry systems; the mathematical preparation of teachers; and effective professional development of in-service STEM teachers at all levels. He has served as PI for several national grants, most recently a NSF GK-12. He is active in the mathematics education community in the state of North Carolina.
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