Initial Publication Date: September 16, 2022

Cailin Huyck Orr

Associate Director


507-222-5980, corr@carleton.edu
Carleton College Directory Page
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Jump down to: Projects | Background | Education | Publications | Presentations

Background

As the Associate Director, I work closely with the SERC team and our partners at institutions across North America to improve the undergraduate experience for students of all backgrounds in STEM and related fields. My work is primarily in project management, professional development and dissemination, community visioning and bringing science into broader use. Through new projects starting in 2024, I am considering what it can mean to be an accomplice in higher education.

Projects as a primary or co-investigator

  • Cultural Change in Geoscience C-ChanGe Transforming Departmental Culture through Faculty Agents of Change
    • This SERC-led project had three components: supporting faculty change-agent teams from different institutions in learning about inclusive practices and instigating change in their departments, making the change resources and programming available to a public audience, and creating a network of programs working toward inclusion in academic geoscience to raise visibility and support across all the individual efforts. (This project was defunded by the NSF on 4/25/25 midway through year 1)
  • Compass: Advancing Earth education resource discovery.
    • In this SERC-led project we are working to improve the discoverability of existing, high-quality Earth education resources by improving our understanding of how educators explore and use the wide variety of materials hosted by SERC and innovating our discovery tools based on that understanding.
  • CUREnet 2 course-based undergraduate research experiences in biology.
    • In partnership with the other project PIs, SERC helped experts in Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experiences come together to define the key components of CUREs that lead to student success. This served as the basis for a rubric and series of institutes to guide faculty members in creating and implementing CURES, resulting in a collection of reviewed examples and a growing networked community.
  • Bridging to STEM Excellence a consortium of organizations for faculty development
    • SERC worked to coordinate the leadership of five academic professional development organizations to create 1) a bridge between institutional efforts to improve instruction and national initiatives offering programmatic support and 2) a community of practice increasing the interactions among and reach of the consortium organizations.
  • Belonging in Geoscience Education Workshop: Planning to Enact Cultural Change
    • In this SERC-led project we worked with collaborators to convene a workshop to generate a vision for professional development programming, maximizing its utility and reach in meeting the current challenges related to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging in the geosciences.
  • Project EDDIE: Earth and Ecosystems : Environmental Data-Driven Inquiry and Exploration materials and teaching approaches.
    • SERC served in both leadership and technical infrastructure roles for this large, multi-year project. We facilitated faculty authors in developing flexible classroom teaching modules using large, publicly available datasets to engage students in STEM and improve their quantitative reasoning, and provided the associated professional development needed to ensure effective use of the teaching modules.

Partner-led projects as SERC lead

  • HHMI IE3: Learning Community 4 changing policy, supporting faculty development, and identifying optimal sources of evidence in service to Inclusive Excellence in higher education. SERC serves a coordination role supporting working groups and providing the technical infrastructure.
  • Accelerating Systemic Change Network a network of individuals and institutions to more quickly advance STEM education programs and inclusive practice. SERC serves a coordination role, supporting working groups and providing a technical infrastructure including providing public access to network products and ensuring an enduring record of their work. This includes the associated Transforming Institutions bi-annual conference SERC helped organize and host in 2019, 2021 and 2023.
  • CLASP: broadening participation and deepening its community of practice. This is a pilot project to develop strategies for building the capacity and effectiveness of research administration across a diverse range of institutions. SERC coordinated a series of virtual events for members to provide input and  generate a collective vision for the future of the organization, culminating in an in-person meeting.
  • Macrosystems EDDIE teaching materials to help students learn the foundations of macrosystems ecology through modeling and forecasting. It is included in the suite of EDDIE projects hosted and supported by SERC.
  • Positive Mental Heath in the Geosciences: was a 2023 workshop SERC organized in conjunction with the Geological Society of America to help improve our understanding how mental health is being addressed in geoscience communities and identify outstanding needs in the broader academic geoscience community.
  • National Collaborative for Research on Food Water and Energy Education
  • NextGen WA STEM –  Creating next generation STEM teacher preparation through inter-institution collaboration.
  • Teaching Computation using MATLAB: is an ongoing collaboration with MathWorks, started to provide annual workshops for faculty members to improve teaching and learning computation in post-secondary STEM disciplines including an evolving online teaching activity collection.
  • AK UNiTE Building a community of practice around learning cultural humility in mentoring Indigenous Alaskan biology students.
  • InTeGrate: STEM Talent Expansion Program Center Interdisciplinary teaching about Earth for a sustainable future.
  • IINSPIRE LSAMP Alliance is committed to broadening the participation of underrepresented minorities in STEM education in the Midwest.
  • Network of STEM Education Centers an organization of campus-based centers that serve as catalysts for transformation in STEM.

Education

University of Wisconsin-Madison, Limnology and Marine Science, M.S. and Ph.D.
Carleton College, Biology, B.A.

Selected Publications

Metzger, E, D. Gosselin, and C.H.Orr. 2019 Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all. In J.C. Gill and M. Smith, Editors, Geology and the Sustainable Development Goals: Facilitating Responsible Earth Stewardship. Springer-Nature.

Orr, C.H. and J.R. McDaris. 2019. Supporting the implementation of program-level changes to increase learning about Earth. In A. Egger, J. Taber and D. Gosselin editors, Interdisciplinary Teaching about Earth and the Environment for a Sustainable Future, Springer.

McDaris, J.R., C.A. Manduca, E.R. Iverson, C.H. Orr. 2017. Looking in the Right Places: Minority Serving Institutions as Sources of Diverse Earth ScienceLearners. Journal of Geoscience Education 65:407-415.

Kelley, C.J., C.K. Keller, J.L. Smith, E. Brooks, C.H. Orr. 2017. Water and Nitrogen movement through a semi-arid dryland agroecosystem: Seasonal and decadal trends. Hydrological Processes. doi:10.1002/hyp.11152.

Ortega-Pieck, A. A.K. Fremier, C. H. Orr. 2017. Agricultural influences on the magnitude of whole-stream metabolism in humid tropical headwater streams. Freshwater Science. doi:10.1007/s10750-017-3204-5.

Orr, C.H., Manduca, C.A. 2016. Interdisciplinary Teaching of Geoscience for a Sustainable Future: InTeGrate. In the Trenches 6:3:3-4.

Orr C.H, K.I. Predick, E.H. Stanley and K.L. Rogers. 2014. Spatial variability of denitrification and associated soil properties on a restored and a natural floodplain. Wetlands 34:89-100.

Kelley, C.J., C. Keller, R.D. Evans, C.H. Orr, J.L. Smith, and B.A. Harlow. 2013 Nitrate-nitrogen and oxygen isotope ratios for identification of nitrate sources and dominant nitrogen cycle processes in a tile-drained dryland agricultural field. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 57:731-738.

Singh, A, J. Marr, C. Hill, S. Johnson, C. Ellis, J. Mullin, C.H. Orr, P. Wilcock, M. Hondzo, C. Paola, E. Foufoula-Georgiou. 2012. StreamLab: Overview of experiments, instrumentation, and data collected. Water Resources Research 49:1746-1752.

Orr, C.H. J.J. Clark, P.R. Wilcock, M.W. Doyle. 2009. Impact of channel geometry and algae growth on hyporheic exchange and nutrient uptake : Insights from a field-scale flume. JGR Biogeosciences 114, G02019, doi:10.1029/2008JG000825.

Wilcock, P.R, C.H. Orr, J. Marr. 2008. Particles, solutes, and life in flowing water: a large-scale multidisciplinary experiment at St Anthony Falls Laboratory. EOS 89(1): 6.

Orr, C.H., S.J. Kroiss, K.L. Rogers and E.H. Stanley. 2008. Response of benthic sediments and metabolism to dam removal in a small Wisconsin stream. River Research and Applications 24(6): 804.

Riggsbee, J.A, C.H. Orr, J.C. Julian, D.A. Leech, M.W. Doyle, and R.G. Wetzel. 2008. Suspended sediment, carbon and nitrogen fluxes and transformations during the dewatering of a low-head impoundment. Journal of Geophysical Research – Biogeosciences doi:10.1029/2007JG000654

Orr, C.H., E.H. Stanley, K.A. Wilson, and J.C. Finlay. 2007. Changes in denitrification following reintroduction of flooding to a leveed Midwestern floodplain. Ecological Applications 17: 2365–2376.

Stanley, E.H., M.J. Catalono, N. Mercado-Silva and C.H. Orr. 2007. Implications of small dam removal for distribution of non-native trout in Central Wisconsin. River Research and Applications 23:792-798.

Orr, C.H., K.L. Rogers, and E.H. Stanley. 2006. Phosphorus uptake and channel geometry following small dam removal. Journal of the North American Benthological Society 25:556-568.

Orr, C.H. and E.H. Stanley. 2006. Vegetation development and restoration potential of drained reservoirs following dam removal in Wisconsin. River Research and Application 22:281-295.

Doyle, M.W., E.H. Stanley, C.H. Orr, A.R Selle, and J.M. Harbor. 2005. Fluvial geomorphic controls on stream ecosystem processes: Lessons from the heartland of small dam removals. Geomorphology 71: 227-244.

Orr, C.H. and B.M Roth, J.D. Gonzales, K.J. Forshay, M.M. Papenfus, and R.D.G. Wassell. 2004. An Examination of Physical and Regulatory Variables Leading to Small Dam Removal in Wisconsin. Environmental Management 33(1):99-109.

Overdevest, C., C.H. Orr and C. Stepenuk. 2004. Volunteer stream monitoring and local participation in natural resource issues. Human Ecology Review 11(2):177-185.

Selected Presentations

O'Connell, K., S. Fox, M.Z. Bruckner, A. Carlson, C. Huyck Orr, E. R. Iverson, J. R. McDaris, M. Mohamed. 2024. Knowledge, Successes, and Access: Advancing Earth and space science education opportunities with open educational resources (OER). ED33D. AGU Fall meeting, Washington D.C. 

Orr, C. H. and S. Fox. 2023. Ensuring a thriving open education resource ecosystem: perspectives from 20 years at the Science Education Resource Center (SERC). Ecological Society of America annual meeting, Portland, OR. 

O'Connell, K., E. Iverson, C. Huyck Orr, S.C. Eriksson. 2023. An effective approach to empower faculty to teach with open data: Evaluation findings from Project EDDIE. American Geophysical Union, Fall meeting, San Francisco, CA. 

Fox, S., E. Iverson, C. Huyck Orr, C. Manduca, K Viskupic, J.M. Wenner. 2020. Next steps for community infrastructure supporting geoscience education. American Geophysical Union, Fall meeting, online. 

Orr, C.H., C. O'Reilly, E.A.R. Iverson, D.C. Soule, A. Haveles. 2019. Promoting teaching of quantitative reasoning using environmental data: Project EDDIE. ED13D-0908. American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting, San Francisco CA.

Orr, C.H., E. Dolan, J.R. McDaris. 2018. CUREnet2: Faculty network for designing, teaching and evaluating CURES. Geological Society of America Annual Meeting Indianapolis.

Orr, C.H., J.R. McDaris, C.A. Manduca. 2018. Lessons from the InTeGrate (Interdisciplinary Teaching about Earth for a Sustainable Future) STEP Center on Program Scale Change: Synthesizing Real-World Experience. Ecological Society of America. Annual Meeting. New Orleans, LA.

Orr, C.H., J.R. McDaris, C.A. Manduca. 2018. Teaching about Earth for a Sustainable Future: The InTeGrate STEM Talent Expansion Program Center. Ecological Society of America, Annual Meeting. New Orleans, LA.

Orr, C.H. and J.R. McDaris. 2017. Lessons from InTeGrate on Program-Scale Change: Synthesizing Real-world experience. Geological Society of America.

Annual Meeting Seattle, WA.

Orr, C.H., S. Fox, A.E. Egger, J.M. Wenner. 2017. Teach the Earth: Newly Envisioned Portal for Geoscience Education Resources. Geological Society of America. Annual Meeting Seattle, WA.

Orr, C.H. and J. E. Swartz. 2017. IINSPIRE-LSAMP Alliance professional development workshops in support of broadening participation in STEM. Network of STEM Education Centers, Annual meeting, New Orleans, LA.

Orr, C.H., R. McFadden, C.A. Manduca, L. Kemplar. 2016. Resources and approaches for teaching quantitative and computational skills in the geosciences and allied fields. ED43D-0886. American Geophysical Union. Fall Meeting. San Francisco, CA

Orr, C.H. 2016. Models of Program-Scale Change. Heads & Chairs Summit: On the

Future of Undergraduate Geoscience Education. UT-Austin, TX.

Orr, C.H. and C.M. Manduca. 2015. Interdisciplinary curriculum and strategic partnerships to increase interest in and access to STEM. APLU, Science and Math Teaching Imperative National Conference. New Orleans, LA

Orr, C.H., J. Adam, A. Beall. 2013. Improving future water use planning in the Columbia River Basin by linking interdisciplinary earth system modeling with collaborative stakeholder modeling. Society for Freshwater Sci. Jacksonville, FL