STEM Writing Initiative Activity Lead
Daniel Lenz
B.S. Environmental Studies, University of California, Santa Barbara
M.S. Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation, California State University Sacramento
Daniel Lenz joined º£½ÇÉçÇø Channel Islands as the Activity Lead for the STEM Writing Initiative in May of 2022. Mr. Lenz was also a lecturer in the Environmental Studies and Resource Management department at º£½ÇÉçÇøCI. Now he is a full-time lecturer and Assistant Director in the Writing & Multiliteracy Center. During his graduate career, his research focused on how plants communicate with each other through shared fungal networks. He has professional experience with non-profit land conservation and biological consulting where he has authored numerous technical reports. Mr. Lenz is convinced that the cornerstone to success, whether as an academic or professional, is being an effective communicator.
As the Activity Lead for the STEM Writing Initiative, Mr. Lenz looks forward to working with students to enhance their ability to communicate through various mediums and to diverse audiences. He is also excited to collaborate with faculty to promote clear, compelling, and confident scientific communication in º£½ÇÉçÇøCI students. Our scientific understanding of the world is continually improving, and Mr. Lenz strongly believes that the value of new scientific discoveries and ideas is inseparable from our ability to communicate.
About WMC's STEM Initiative
WMC's STEM Initiative is funded by the U.S. Department of Education's five-year HSI Grant and part of CI's Project AYUDAS. The initiative aims to strengthen STEM student success pipeline and transform STEM pathways for retention and success, particularly for Latinx and Low-Income Students.
First-Year Composition Embedded Tutoring Initiative Leads
Emily Spitler-Lawson, EMT Faculty Development Lead
M.A. English, Chapman University
M.F.A. Creative Writing, Chaptman University
B.A. English and Creative Writing, Pepperdine University
Emily Spitler-Lawson has been teaching first-year composition since 2006 and joined
the First-Year Writing program at º£½ÇÉçÇø Channel Islands in 2016. Emily has been working
with Embedded Multiliteracy Tutors since her first semester at CI. Over the course
of the exclusively online Fall 2020 and Spring 2021 semesters, she explored new ways
to incorporate EMTs in online asynchronous classes, and in the Spring of 2022, she
was selected as a FYC-EMT Faculty Fellow with the goal of creating resources for faculty
to help them effectively use EMTs in their courses in all modalities. As the FYC-EMT
Faculty Development Lead, she is looking forward to being an ambassador for the WMC
and collaborating with FYC faculty as they use EMTs and other WMC services in the
ever-evolving context in which they teach.
Koa Johnson, STEM Writing Initiative Outreach Lead
M.A candidate, English
B.A. English and Psychology minor,
º£½ÇÉçÇø
Summa Cum Laude
Koa Johnson joined the Writing and Multiliteracy Center while he was a student at º£½ÇÉçÇøCI in January 2021 as a peer consultant but continued to stay with the WMC beyond graduation; advancing to a Special Consultant, then to the Writing and Multiliteracy Professional, before putting on many different hats at the WMC, the current of which having the label, "Multiliteracy Outreach & Engagement Coordinator!"
During his undergraduate career Koa had a passion for storytelling, in both fiction and academic writing, and he still seeks to weave academic and professional stories in th WMC via outreach and WMC programming. Currently pursuing his Master's in English, Koa works with the Writing & Multiliteracy Center through supporting the WMC's STEM Writing Initiative, mobile tutoring, Open Mic, Writing Boot Camp, and WMC general outreach through educational outreach alongside supportive training and production of workshop materials as needed!
About WMC's Embedded Tutoring Initiative
The WMC's Embedded Tutoring Initiative for First Year Writers is supported by the generous gift provided by Jeff Green's to increase retention and graduation rates through expanded and enhanced peer to peer support with a focus on embedded peer education for first year, gateway, and historically challenged courses.