Get to know our
Leadership
UCI Science Project Team
Interim Director
Dr. Nicole F. Thompson
Program Coordinator
Lilly Lopez
Faculty Advisor
Dr. Julie Ferguson
Dr. Nicole F. Thompson
Nicole Gilbertson creates opportunities for educators to learn and collaborate with one another as the Director of the UCI Teacher Academy and as interim Site Director of the UCI Science Project. Gilbertson earned a Ph.D. in history with an emphasis on modern Europe and world history, while at the same time engaging in UCI’s teaching credential program for history-social science. She then led the UCI History Project for over 15 years partnering with K-12 teachers throughout southern California to support them to increase their content, pedagogical, and disciplinary knowledge, all in the service of supporting students’ inquiry-based critical thinking. Centering of her work is the goal of creating communities for teachers as they engage their students in the habits of mind and practices that are essential for participation and leadership in our democratic system.
Lilly Lopez
Lilly Lopez is a recent graduate from UCLA with a B.A. in Geography and Environmental Studies and a minor in Conservation Biology. Since then has worked as a naturalist for the Palos Verdes Land Conservancy, where she has helped implement educational outreach programs and helped manage their two nature centers. In addition, she has also collaborated in various community-based research projects and internships that have focused on the ecological composition of the Palos Verdes Peninsula and surrounding areas.
Lilly’s passion for environmental justice and climate change has led her to inspire individuals to be active members of environmental movements within their own communities. Some of her favorite hobbies include backpacking, camping, and running throughout the South Bay!
Dr. Julie Ferguson
Dr. Ferguson is part of the Earth System Science department and teaches a range of courses including Introduction to Earth System Science, Oceanography, the Atmosphere, and much more. She also carries out research in the field of paleoclimate – analyzing the stable isotope and elemental composition of biogenic calcium carbonate e.g. coral, to reconstruct sea surface temperatures, salinities, upwelling and ocean currents for the past. She is now trying to move into carrying out geoscience education research. Among other things she is interested in the role that large general education geoscience classes can play in changing student attitudes to societally relevant geoscience topics such as climate change, sustainable fisheries. She is also interested in studying how the adoption of the new generation science standards affect the background geoscience knowledge of non-science majors.
What Drives Us
Our Mission
UCI Science Project is grounded in research-based educational practices informed by partnerships within and beyond UCI. We understand the paradigm shifts needed for the Next Generation Science Standards to prepare students for the 21st century and our goal is to support students and educators as transformative leaders who build capacity in their communities and schools.