K-12 Education & Outreach Coordinator
Phone: 561-644-2397
Email: skillingsworth@floridamuseum.ufl.edu
Stephanie Killingsworth is responsible for implementing the Scientist in Every Florida School program primarily in central and south Florida. In this role, she provides professional development for teachers as well as connects teachers and their classrooms to scientists through a variety of platforms, with a focus on cultivating long-term collaboration. She is based in West Palm Beach, Florida.
Killingsworth is a national and state-recognized former gifted middle school science teacher from Palm Beach County. She is passionate about providing innovative experiences for students to engage in science both in and out of the classroom. Of note, she led a long-term project in which her students traveled, collaborated and problem solved on-site with scientists to build sustainable water retrieval systems in Bawal, India. She also established a student-driven non-profit, Surface 71, aimed at raising public awareness of the impact plastics have on marine environments. She received her bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Kansas and her master’s degree in geology from the University of Florida. Currently, she is pursuing a Ph.D. within the Department of Geological Sciences at the University of Florida. Her research specializes in the geochemical analysis and evolution of Neogene fossils of Florida.
Projects & Programs:
- National Science Foundation Grant – Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST). Served as senior personnel for the Broader Impacts portion of the grant by supporting teacher recruitment, facilitating workshops, and maintaining teacher/expert relationships. Visit the following link for more information: SEFS Professional Development Program for Teachers Brings Together Fossil Sharks and Artificial Intelligence
- National Science Foundation Grant – Plant Immunity/Plant Pathology. Served as senior personnel for the Broader Impacts portion of the grant by supporting teacher recruitment, facilitating workshops, and maintaining teacher/expert relationships.
- Paleontological Society/Alachua School District Grants – Chewing on Change: Using Fossil Horses to Teach About Macroevolution
Publications:
- Science in School: Transforming K-12 Outreach Through Scientist Teacher Partnerships
- Authentic field experiences for STEM teachers: Collecting Florida fossils
- Species occurrences of Mio-Pliocene horses (Equidae) from Florida: sampling, ecology, or both?
- Horses lived in the Americas for millions of years-new research helps paleontologists understand the fossils we’ve found and those that are missing from the record
Awards:
- Winifred Goldring Award 2023
- A national award presented to a female graduate student demonstrating outstanding achievement and acumen in paleontology and related fields of reserach by the Association of Women Geoscientists.