Projects

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  GEMS Education Curriculum Development and Professional Learning

  Core Project

  The GEMS education and outreach team studies the impact of their efforts through various research projects, which occur during professional development experiences and in teachers’ classrooms.

Publications

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  Leonardi et al., 2026

  Leonardi, N., Ciuro Sanchez, D., Poel, J. & Hug, B. (2026) Designing and adapting NGSS phenomenon-focused units to support student sensemaking. Science Scope (In press).

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  Poel et al., 2025

  Poel, J., Clark, T., Leonardi, N., & Hug, B. (2025). Sustainability-Centered Science Education: Positioning fifth-grade students as skilled problem-solvers in their communities. Science and Children, 62(4), 36–43.

  https://doi-org.proxy2.library.illinois.edu/10.1080/00368148.2025.2504140

Presentations

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  Hug et al., 2024

  Hug, B., Poel, J., Leonardi, N., & Yates, C. (2024, October 14). The sustainable world database: Making connections [Presentation]. Illinois Science Teachers Association (ISTA) Conference. Naperville, IL, United States. 

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  Hug et al., 2024

  Hug, B., Poel, J., Yates, C., & Leonardi, N., (2024, October 14). Linking science, ELA, sustainability, and MWK [Presentation]. Illinois Science Teachers Association (ISTA) Conference, Naperville, IL, United States.

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  Leonardi et al., 2024

  Leonardi, N., Ciuro Sanchez, D., Yates, C., Blaszynski, M., Bagazinski, A., Poel, J., Clark, T., Roy, P., Lauren, L. H., & Hug, B. (2024, April 15). Designing and customizing phenomenon focused investigations: Linking GEMS science to classroom practice [Poster presentation]. Infection Genomics for One Health (IGOH) Theme Review.

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  Leonardi et al., 2024

  Leonardi, N., Hug, B., Poel, J., & Yates, C. (2024, October 14). Customizing units to support student sensemaking [Presentation]. Illinois Science Teachers Association (ISTA) Conference. Naperville, IL, United States. 

• 

  Poel et al., 2024

  Poel, J., Leonardi, N., & Hug, B. (2024, March 17-20). Challenges and opportunities in using rubrics to develop sustainability focused curriculum units [Paper presentation]. NARST Annual International Conference, Denver, CO, United States.

  https://virtual.oxfordabstracts.com/event/4707/submission/429
• 

  Poel, Leonardi, & Hug, 2024

  Poel, J., Leonardi, N., & Hug, B. (2024, March 18). Challenges and opportunities in using rubrics to develop sustainability focused curriculum units. [Paper presentation]. NARST Annual International Conference. Denver, CO, United States.