Meet the Team

Kathy Chen joined The STEM Education Center at WPI after 15+ years as a professor in Materials Engineering at California Polytechnic (Cal Poly) State University, San Luis Obispo where she served as Department Chair and lead many K-12 and community STEM outreach activities. In her current role to support PreK-12 STEM educators, she works to broaden the participation of students in STEM (especially those from underrepresented and excluded groups) by advancing equity in education through holistic and innovative approaches. She also currently leads the Central MA STEM Network.At Cal Poly, she ...

Jillian DiBonaventura joined the STEM Education Center at WPI as Director of Teacher Preparation in 2022. She brings a wealth of experience to the role, with a diverse background in both classroom teaching and teacher education.Jillian began her career teaching K-12 Music in Worcester Public Schools before transitioning to middle-level Science, which she taught for 26 years across the Worcester and Wachusett Regional School Districts. Her passion for the field of education led her to higher ed, where she has taught educational pedagogy and elementary science methods courses as an adjunct ...

Noemi Robertson joined the STEM Education Center as the Instructor/Director of Community Partnerships & Education Access in October 2022. Noemi is responsible for building and managing relationships in the local community to support teaching experiences for the WPI Teacher Preparation Program and PreK-12 STEM learning opportunities. She promotes and supports PreK-12 teachers in developing relevant and inclusive STEM curriculum and instructional practices. Additionally, she supports the Mass Academy of Math & Sciences in sustaining existing partnerships and building new ones ...