Faculty Bios - iSMART

Dr. Jennifer Chauvot is an associate professor in mathematics education and the mathematics education program area coordinator within the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Houston. She earned her Ph.D. in mathematics education from the University of Georgia and an M.S. in mathematics from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY. She is the director of the UH 4-8 Master Mathematics Teacher Certification Program and co-principal investigator for the HCASE Phase 2 Mathematics Middle School Teacher Project. Her research focuses on mathematics teacher and teacher educator learning.

Dr. Mimi  Lee is an associate professor of Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Houston. She received her Ph.D in Instructional Systems Technology from Indiana University at Bloomington in 2004 with an ethnographic study focusing on the complexities of intercultural understanding in a rural learning environment. Her research interests include theories of identity formation, sociological examination of online communities, issues of representation in education and critical theory in instructional design.

Dr. Jacqueline Hawkins earned her Ed.D. in Educational Psychology/Special Education from the University of Houston.  Her research interests focus on systems change in educational and community contexts, special populations, general education, teaching and leadership.  Read More . . .

Shea Culpepper is a visiting assistant professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction and the University of Houston's College of Education. She earned her M.Ed. in Elementary Education from Boston University in 1994 and her Ph.D. in Educational Leadership from the University of Pennsylvania in 2004. After working as a math coordinator in Fort Bend ISD for five years, she joined the UH faculty full time to teach ELED 4315: Mathematics in Elementary Schools and to work on the iSmart project.

Whitney Grese Hanna is a doctoral student in Curriculum & Instruction with a math education focus. She has been teaching math and coaching math teachers for 11 years, first in New York City and now in Houston. Having volunteered at the Houston Zoo and created her school’s gardening program, Whitney is committed to helping students see the connections between math and science, both in the classroom and in the real world. Bringing math content knowledge and a classroom application perspective to the planning of the program, Whitney is proud to be a graduate assistant on the iSMART team.

Anita Vyas is a graduate assistant for the iSMART team. She is currently pursuing a doctorate in the College of Education with emphasis in instructional technology. She received a bachelor’s in 1994 and master’s in 1999 in Communication and Extension from a reputed university in India. Anita worked in rural villages integrating technology to teach general topics like health at a very grass-roots level. She also has an extensive background in Graphic and Web page designing and is familiar with some programming languages, like C++ and Java. She worked with QUEST, the Teacher Education program of COE, assisted in the recruitments of student teachers and taught online practicum classes. She is currently working towards a candidacy paper that focuses on the uses on blogs as a reflective tool in teacher education and is committed to advocating the use of technology to bridge social, cultural and pedagogical gaps. Her other interests are painting, cooking and running.

Nancy Barnhart earned her M.Ed. in elementary education from the University of Houston and is pursuing a doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction, with an emphasis in literacy/instructional technology. She has published journal articles in the Teachers and Writers Magazine, Ohio Journal of the English Language Arts, The English Record, and RDH National Magazine and edited an online textbook for a Digital History website developed by professors at UH. As a writer-in-residence, she teaches creative writing to elementary students with the nonprofit organization, Writers in the Schools. Ms. Barnhart joins the iSmart team as part of her Advanced Internship and Practicum course.

Juan Jose Perez is a doctoral student in Instructional Technology. He received his M.Ed. from the University of A&M in Prairie View and M.P.H from the University of Texas Health Science Center. His participation in the iSmart project is part of his enrollment in the Advance Internship and Practicum course at the University of Houston.