I am jointly appointed at the Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences and the Graduate School of Education as an Assistant Professor of Science Education.  I received my Ph.D. in Science Education from the University of California, Berkeley where I researched ways to teach science that allow students to apply science to marine conservation problems.  I have B.S and M.S. degrees in marine biology and have conducted research in marine ecology and oceanography.  My work focuses on improving the learning and teaching of ocean sciences.  I teach (and have taught) theories of learning and teaching, environmental education, and ocean sciences classes.

We currently know very little about the connections between cognitive understanding and decision-making processes.  Overall, my research seeks to shed light on the learning of ocean science concepts, its relationship to decision-making about marine conservation issues, and the use of learning technologies and field trips as tools for deep, conceptual learning.  I conduct this work with ocean scientists, educators and graduate students in ocean science and education.  For more on my research, visit my website at: http://oser.gse.rutgers.edu or contact me and come visit my research group meetings.

Tim [far left] leading a field trip at Ano Nuevo, CA, the largest, mainland-based breeding colony of northern elephant seals