Katherine Chen
Executive Director, STEM Education Center, Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI)
Dr. Katherine Chen is the executive director of the STEM Education Center at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI). The center works to transform STEM education for all in collaboration with PK‑12 educators through teacher preparation, professional development, education research, and community engagement. She is also serves as the regional manager for the Central Massachusetts STEM Network Ecosystem. Her degrees in materials science are from Michigan State University and MIT, and she is a professor emeritus in materials engineering at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. She has been on two different NSF S-STEM grants and constantly seeks to create inclusive and sustainable pathways for those who have been historically excluded or marginalized in STEM. Her passions lie in empowering learners to experience and contribute to problem-solving with STEM in meaningful and sustainable ways.
Areas of Expertise
- Education
- Pre-college STEM Education
- Materials Science & Engineering
Methodology
- Focus Groups
- Interviews
- Mixed Methods
- Qualitative Methods
- Quantitative Methods
- Affiliates
- Inaugural - Faculty