Biography

Santa Monica College - Counseling

Innovative Instructor and Mentor, empowering and inspiring students and faculty in effective, inclusive teaching and PD
Higher Education
Rachel
Kennison
Los Angeles, California
As Associate Director of Center for Professional Development and Student Engagement for the Education, Innovation & Learning in the Sciences (CEILS), I wear many hats. With an undergraduate degree in cultural anthropology and a Master’s in Social Work I came to science and teaching later in life, which gave me a diverse set of experiences and skills. After graduating UCLA in 2008 with a PhD in in marine ecology, I was Co-Director for the UCLA NSF-funded program, Centers for Ocean Science Education Excellence-West, where I connected K-12 teachers and marine scientists to bring research into the classroom. In 2013, I joined the Undergraduate Research Center-Sciences as Assistant Director administering the Santa Monica College/UCLA Summer Scholars Research Program, a program that increased diversity in STEM, as well as the Grand Challenges Undergraduate Research Scholars Program. In my current position I teach LS110: Career Exploration in the Life Sciences, a large, innovative undergraduate course that helps students explore themselves and a variety of careers in the Life Sciences. This course has been successful in increasing student's confidence and self-efficacy in preparing them to choose a career path that will fit with their personality, values and interests. I also am Program Coordinator for the Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching and Learning (CIRTL), a National Network that prepares graduate students and postdoctoral scholars to be evidence based and self-reflective practitioners. Finally, I am adjunct faculty at Santa Monica College, where I teach a career development class for STEM students. My overarching goal is to help students (and faculty) live up to their potential by giving them the skills and confidence they need to succeed.