Taormina Lepore

Hi! My name is Taormina (Tara) Lepore, I am currently a postdoctoral researcher at Western Michigan University and the Mallinson Institute for Science Education, where I focus on the intersection of life and earth sciences and STEM equity. I am particularly interested in disabled and neurodivergent equity and community-building in science spaces, including classrooms, labs, field work, and conferences. I completed my PhD in the Department of Integrative Biology at UC Berkeley and the UC Museum of Paleontology, and I also earned an MS in science education from Montana State University, an MS in museum and field studies from Univ. of Colorado Boulder, and a BS in biology from UMass Amherst. I identify as a disabled, queer, and neurodivergent person with strong cultural ties and roots from the Mediterranean region.

I am a vertebrate paleontologist with additional background in the study of vertebrate trace fossils, mammal dental signatures of birth and metabolism, and dinosaur paleontology. My science education research is founded on theoretical frameworks such as critical disability theory and place-based education. I am mainly a qualitative STEM education researcher although I interweave quantitative and mixed methods where appropriate to my research questions and goals. I have been a member of the Paleontological Society education and outreach committee since 2017. As of 2024 I serve on the NAGT advocacy committee and I am involved with the International Association for Geoscience Diversity (IAGD). I look forward to continuing to build my network and career with the NAGT community!