Wendy Ibsen

Programs

• Let's Explore Applied Physical Science (LEAPS)

Bio

Wendy Ibsen has been working with K-12 focused education programs at UCSB since 2001. She originally joined the Institute for Quantum Science, Engineering, and Technology (iQUEST) to coordinate the high school internship program, Apprentice Researchers and also Questboards, teaching modules for electronics, magnetism & optics. Her educational training is in biological science and K-12 teaching. Through these programs experiences, she began to see the importance of creating and facilitating opportunities for UCSB graduate student researchers as mentors for younger or less experienced scientists. She then joined the NSF Advanced Optical IGERT program organizing mentorship opportunities at the Materials Research Laboratory.

Currently as the Let's Explore Applied Physical Science (LEAPS) coordinator at CNSI, she is continuing to work with K-12 students, teachers, and graduate and undergraduate students in the physical sciences. The LEAPS program is funded by the National Science Foundation, as a Graduate Student K-12 teaching fellowship that provides additional teaching experience to create better equipped scientists for the future. This program has provided CNSI many opportunities to collaborate with scientific researchers and community organizations to better prepare our local K-12 students and their diverse families in STEM fields through science classes, after-school clubs, field trips, science fair projects, and during evening science workshops.