Biography

Richard Velasco is currently a clinical assistant professor of STEM education in the Department of Teaching and Learning at The University of Iowa. He previously taught secondary mathematics at Pullman High School and Lincoln Middle School for three years and taught middle school mathematics at F.B. Leon Guerrero Middle School for eight years. Richard's love for STEM began when he received Guam's Middle School Teacher of the Year award in 2016. Winning the award provided him opportunities to collaborate with other STEM teachers locally and nationally. Through these professional collaborations, Richard has helped develop STEM curriculum that fosters critical thinking, problem solving, and hands-on STEM experiences for K-12 students in the island. Richard was selected to participate in the National Science Foundation (NSF) grant-funded STEM Teacher Ambassador program in 2018. As a STEM teacher ambassador, Richard was trained in Washington, D.C., on how to advocate for STEM education and how to engage in STEM education policy advocacy. He and his fellow STEM teacher ambassadors from different states have participated in webinars that promoted STEM activities in K-12 classrooms, as well as presented in STEM teacher panels and forums at the STEM Forum and Expo, hosted by the National Science Teaching Association. Richard's experiences as a STEM teacher ambassador have further informed his continual research in STEM advocacy. Richard has a B.A., magna cum laude, in mathematics and secondary education from the University of Guam; an M.A.T. in curriculum and instruction from the University of Saint Mary; and a Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction with a specialization in STEM education from Texas Tech University. He is National Board Certified in early adolescence mathematics.