Dr. Melanie E. Carden-Jessen

Biography

Melanie Carden-Jessen has taught everything from diapers to degrees, from daycare to elementary, from middle school to university. Her BS in ed Earth Science and an MS in Resource Planning landed her with the Missouri Department of Conservation for 15 years, first as an education consultant and then as a nature center manager. She has served on the resource advisory council for the Department of Agriculture for the Mark Twain National Forest and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education committee for the Math and Science conference. Returning to MSU in 2018 as an Earth Science Instructor, she is Secondary Science Education Program Coordinator and Science Student Teacher Supervisor. Melanie’s committee work includes a Diversity Initiatives and Educator Provider Preparation Committee. She is part of a team working through a National Science Foundation grant to study gender equity in higher education faculty. She defended her dissertation titled “Persistence Overcomes Resistance: The Journey of Women in STEM to Full Professor” in 2023 to complete her doctorate through the University of Missouri-Columbia.

Details

Education

• EdD, Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis, 2023, University of Missouri - Columbia
• MS, Resource Planning, 1998, Missouri State University
• BSEd, Earth Science Comprehensive, 1996, Missouri State University

Teaching

• GRY 240 Earth Science for Teachers
• SCI 404 Teaching of Middle School Natural Science
• SCI 784 Internship in Teaching Secondary Science II
• BIO 561/661 Environmental Interpretation and Issues

Professional experience

• Interface Math and Science Education Conference Steering Committee and Selection Committee
• GSA Short Course Session Chair North Central/South Central Joint Section Meetings
• Science Teachers of Missouri
• Missouri State Teachers Association
• Association for Women Geoscientists
• Geological Society of America
• National Association of Geoscience Teachers
• Writer for Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
• Science Olympiad Regional and State Writer/Judge
• National Association of Interpretation
• First Aid/CPR Wilderness Instructor/Trainer

Research and professional interests

• Missouri Learning Standards and Assessment
• Earth Science Education
• Teacher In-service Professional Development
• Women in STEM in Higher Education
• Gender Equity in STEM

Awards and honors

Additional resources

• Curriculum Vitae
• Department of Geography, Geology and Planning