
Kathy Ellins
The University of Texas Institute for Geophysics
The University of Texas at Austin
Dr. Ellins holds a Ph.D. in Geography from Columbia University, a Masters in Science Teaching (MAT) from New York University and a B.A. in Geology from Skidmore College. She is a collaborative STEM educator who is committed to engagement with external stakeholders and partners in academia, government and the private sector. She is knowledgeable in the scholarship of educational research. Her work strives to translate educational research into practice to improve science learning and reach the public through: (1) curriculum development for the Earth/ocean/climate sciences; (2) teacher professional development and teacher leader preparation; (3) multi-institutional collaboration to promote diversity in the geosciences at the K-12 and undergraduate levels; and (4) interdisciplinary projects. She mentors graduate and undergraduate students, and K-12 educators. Dr. Ellins developed and taught 3 courses for pre-service STEM teachers and geology majors in the Jackson School of Geosciences based on content from 3 NSF-sponsored projects (GEO-1203021, DRL-1019815 and OEDG-0703687) and led the creation of online K-12 curriculum for the DIG Texas Instructional Blueprints for Teaching Earth Science project, Water Exploration and GeoFORCE Texas' 12th Grade Summer Academy. Current projects include GeoASCEND and Geoscience Ambassadors. Dr. Ellins is a Fulbright CORE Scholar and the 2017 recipient of the NAGT Neil Miner Award for exceptional contributions to the stimulation of interest in the Earth sciences.
Website Content Contributions
Conference Presentations (13)
Facilitating spaces of collaborative learning for geoconservation using a new board game, "Reef Survivor: Jamaica" part of Earth Educators Rendezvous:Previous Rendezvous:Rendezvous 2022:Program:Oral Sessions:Monday Oral Session A
"Reef Survivor: Jamaica" is an educational board game that incorporates elements of place-based education and Earth systems thinking to help players learn about reef ecology and resilience in the face of ...
Other Contributions (6)
Curiosity to Question: A New Model for Disciplinarily Diverse and Inclusive Course-Based Research Experiences part of Earth Educators Rendezvous:Previous Rendezvous:Rendezvous 2021:Program:Afternoon Workshops
Curiosity to Question (CtQ) is an emerging model for course-based research experiences that are diverse by design. By recruiting for diverse identities and disciplines, and by emphasizing open inquiry, peer ...
Communities

Texas Section, Teacher Education Division
July 2017 Earth Educators Rendezvous 2015
July 2015 Earth Educators' Rendezvous Interest Group
NAGT Webinar Series Interest
Living on the Edge Interest Group
NAGT All
Earth Educators' Rendezvous 2016
Teach the Earth
Workshop Leader
EER 2021 Mini-Workshop: Curiosity to Question: A New Model for Disciplinarily Diverse and Inclusive Course-Based Research Experiences
EER 2020 Best Practices for Implementing Dual Enrollment Programs
Workshop Participant (29 workshops)
July 2021 EER 2020 Art and Field Sketching
July 2020 Earth Educators' Rendezvous 2019 Attendees
July 2019