Mitchell Bender-Awalt

Project Coordinator

Science Education Resource Center - Carleton College
507-222-5340, mawalt@carleton.edu

I have been a part of the SERC web team since the fall of 2017. As Project Coordinator, I am involved in managing ongoing projects and collaborations, developing and maintaining web content, implementing faculty professional development, and participating in education research and evaluation projects.

My science education interests include teaching and learning in the field; justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion; and systemic/institutional change.

Background

I joined the SERC web team in the fall of 2017 after working as an adjunct instructor in the Geology Department at the University of St. Thomas. There, I discovered a passion for geoscience education. I found that as an instructor it was very easy to lecture, but much more difficult to develop content that engages students in active learning. I used resources through the SERC website to enhance my teaching, and decided I wanted to be more involved in disseminating ideas and information to instructors like myself.

My background in earth science is focused on structural geology and metamorphic petrology. I am interested in the interactions between oceanic and continental lithosphere at convergent plate boundaries, and how subducted (and consequently metamorphosed/deformed) oceanic lithosphere can be used to track the evolution of these regions.

Education

  • M.S. Earth Sciences, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, Minneapolis, MN, 2016
    • Petrogenesis of metaophiolitic granulites from SE Anatolia
  • B.A. Geology, Macalester College, St. Paul, MN, 2013
    • Petrology and pseudosection modeling of a garnet-blueschist block-in-melange, Santa Catalina Island, California

About Me

Born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland, I first came to the Land of 10,000 Lakes to attend college at Macalester. When I'm not working, I prefer to spend my time outdoors. Backpacking, canoeing, and climbing are some of my favorite ways to explore the world around me. I also dabble in digital and film photography.