Dr. Catherine L. Quinlan

Dr. Catherine L. Quinlan has over two decades of science-teaching experience in the K–12 and university settings, sixteen years of which were teaching high school biology. She holds a B.A. in English from Barnard College (premed), and an Ed.D. in Science Education from Teachers College, Columbia University.

In her current position at Howard University School of Education, Dr. Quinlan prepares preservice teachers in science methods and education foundations for the K–12 classroom. Her research uses multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary approaches to look at the impact of cognitive, social, cultural, and historical factors on representation, and on Black students’ persistence in STEM. Her research focuses on creating and evaluating a culturally representative science curriculum, with a pilot funded by NSF. Dr. Quinlan continues to bridge theory and practice with her representative chapter book series for children titled Keystone Passage, which grounds the realities of science, history, and culture in light fantasy.

Her twitter handle is @ProfQuinlan.