Our Team
Suzi Taylor, Director
408 Reid Hall
Phone: (406) 994-2336
[email protected]
Suzi Taylor is Director of the Science Math Resource Center. She has a long history
of leading outreach programs for Montana State University, including serving as MSU
lead for Montana NSF EPSCoR's Track 1 projects, and partnering with faculty on programs
funded by NASA, USDA, the Department of Energy and other agencies to create outreach
projects that support the citizens of Montana. Suzi has a special interest in reaching
youth in Montana's smallest and most rural communities. Her favorite projects have
included working with 40 Montana classrooms as they virtually followed an MSU geology
expedition to Mount Everest; helping to launch Science Action Clubs all over Montana;
and leading a statewide geocaching project tied to the Montana Climate Assessment.
Suzi also serves as co-leader of the Montana Girls STEM Collaborative, a statewide
network of adults who collaborate to engage and inspire girls, and serves on the advisory
board for The STEM Effect, a National Science Foundation-supported project that examines
the long-term impacts of STEM programs for girls.
Dr. Fenqjen Luo, Associate Director
118 Reid Hall
Ph. (406) 994-5950
[email protected]
Fenqjen Luo is the Associate Director of the Science Math Resource Center and Director
of the Montana Mathematics Circle, a club for aspiring mathematicians in Montana middle
and high schools. Fenqjen oversees the administration of American Math Competitions
and Math Summer Camps on the MSU campus.
She received her Ph.D. in Mathematics Education from the University of Texas at Austin
and is currently a faculty member at the MSU Department of Education.
Madison Boone, Project and Communications Lead
409 Reid Hall
[email protected]
Madison Boone serves as a Project and Communications Lead with the Science Math Resource
Center. She supports communication, outreach, and coordination activities for SMRC
and its partners, including the current Montana NSF EPSCoR Track-1 project, the Consortium
for Research on Environmental Water Systems (CREWS). In her position, Madison is especially
interested in science communication, education, outreach, and how she can help community-researcher
partnerships flourish.
Before coming to SMRC, Madison was the Program and Communications Manager for the
Montana Institute on Ecosystems at MSU and a Big Sky Watershed Corps member with One
Montana and MSU-Extension in Gallatin County. In addition to her SMRC role, she is
also a Ph.D. student with Dr. Sarah Church in the People-Places-Water Lab at MSU.
Dr. Jeannie Chipps, Educator Professional Development Lead
412 Reid Hall
[email protected]
Jeannie Chipps facilitates professional development at the Science Math Resource Center.
As a former high school science teacher and after school science team coach/makerspace
director, she enjoys working with teachers to create learning environments that support
diverse learners. She has been leading professional development for the Next Generation
Science Standards with a focus on environmental chemistry since 2017.
Jeannie completed her Doctorate in Education from Johns Hopkins University in the
summer of 2022, with an emphasis in Mind, Brain & Teaching.
Jill Joyce, Program Coordinator
412 Reid Hall
Ph: (406) 994-7476
[email protected]
Jill moved to Montana from Vermont in 1989 to earn her Civil Engineering degree from
Montana State University. Upon graduation, seeking a hands-on experience rather than
an office environment, Jill learned the trades of log building and timber framing;
crafting with chainsaws and chisels for nearly a decade in the booming ski town of
Big Sky.
As a single Mom of three, Jill launched a STEM children’s program with LEGOs™ and
managed a small business in Bozeman. Jill brings to the SMRC a Jill-of-all-trades
approach with talents in marketing, management, team building, hospitality, project
development, technical writing, and more.
When not in the SMRC office, you can find Jill at the master's alpine ski race circuit,
volunteering for a myriad of her children’s activities, or enjoying the vast Montana
landscape in her restored vintage camper.
Kayce Williams, Instructor Sensing for Science
230C Linfield Hall
(406) 994.7463
[email protected]
Kayce Williams is an MSU instructor in Technology Education and Industrial Technology
where he teaches Materials and Processes, Computer-Aided Drafting and Manufacturing,
Electrical and Power Systems, Construction Technology.
Kayce helped develop and teach an Arduino-coding workshop at the STEM Summer Institute
that he then developed into a self-paced online video-based course for teachers as
part of Montana NSF EPSCoR's Sensing for Science program. Teachers who complete the
training can receive STEM equipment for their classrooms. Learn more about the Sensing for Science program.
Graduate student
Lateefat Sanni, STEM Education and Outreach
412 Reid Hall
Ph: 406-589-8959
Lateefat Sanni is a graduate student in Curriculum and Instructions and a graduate assistant in the Science Math Resource Center (SMRC). She's responsible for STEM lending library space. She holds a bachelor's degree in science education from the University of Ilorin in Nigeria. After graduation, Lateefat has served in different organizations as an educationist and a curriculum developer. Her focus is on the intersection of using technological tools to aid and improve teaching and learning in society. Beyond her academic pursuits, she loves to watch soccer and movies.
Undergraduate student Interns
Addie Rohlman, Science Olympiad
From Addie: Growing up, I always had an interest in science; however, living in rural
Montana, there were very limited opportunities for students like me to explore science
outside of the classroom.Science Olympiad was an amazing opportunity for me to understand
a true sense of science, and I am grateful for the experience I had in the program
at Corvallis High School. When I heard about the opportunity at MSU to become a student
intern for Science Olympiad, I was thrilled with the idea of helping high school and
middle school students in Montana experience Science Olympiad as I had.
As a student at Montana State University, I am majoring in Medical Laboratory Science
with the goal of attending medical school after my undergraduate degree. I am a student
of the Honors College and am also considering a minor in Hispanic Studies. In the
few moments of spare time that I have, I like to read books, binge-watch TV shows,
and try to convince myself that I enjoy running.
Savanah Olson, Science Communications Intern
Savanah is a senior at MSU studying environmental science and land rehabilitation. She is from Tacoma, Washington. Savanah enjoys crocheting and skiing in her free time. She would love to work with the Forest Service in the future, but she said, "Whatever I do I want to be working to help others!"
Past student interns
Chloe Moreland, Citizen Science
Chloe Moreland is from Snoqualmie, Washington, and graduated in 20023 with degrees
in Cell Biology & Neuroscience and English. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, climbing,
reading, and skiing. Last Spring, in tandem with the SMRC, she received one of the
seven seed grants awarded by MSU’s Outreach and Engagement Council to promote outreach
and engagement between the university and the community. The project, entitled 'Engaging
Montana Youth in Citizen Science' partners with the Montana Afterschool Alliance,
Eagle Mount, and Aspiring Educators of MSU. The grant supports the creation of adaptive
and engaging techniques to communicate and involve MSU youth and young educators in
citizen science. The main goal is to be more inclusive and create adaptive lessons
involving citizen science for varied audiences while also allowing aspiring educators
to gain teaching experience and expand their STE(A)M teaching tools.
Drew Burke, Science Communication Intern
My love of science and writing initially guided me to MSU as an aspiring science journalist.
However, as an undergrad, I've slowly fallen in love with health, medicine, and the
innate beauty and sophistication of the human body. I now plan to attend med school
after college. Med school is daunting, yet, I find solace in the challenge and the
conviction that, although the problems plaguing people are complex, and I don't pretend
to have answers, I won't back down from trying to provide people with tools to grapple
with the adversities of the human condition.
My love of science and writing persists, and I feel privileged to scratch that itch
by working at the SMRC. I can't wait to highlight the research, programs, and people
at MSU and beyond that are changing lives and inspiring a new generation of people
in STEM.
Inmy free time, you can find me binging games on chess.com, reading, enjoying nature, or having existential dread about getting into med school.