New Perspectives in Science Education
Sarita Pillai
Institution: Education Development Center
Address: 43 Foundry Ave
Postal Code: 02453
Country: United States
Sarita Pillai is Managing Project Director at EDC and an expert in effective strategies to broaden students' participation in STEM education and careers. For the past 15 years, she has built a portfolio of work on the principle that equity and excellence are inseparable. She believes that real breakthroughs and innovations in STEM occur at the intersection of diverse perspectives and experiences, and when people work together to address common issues.
Sarita leads national centers that advance innovative research and development and deepen understanding of effective strategies to enhance the quality and equity of STEM education. She has led several projects to design powerful, technology-based STEM educational opportunities for all students, especially those traditionally underrepresented in STEM fields. She is deeply committed to ensuring that every individual has the right to access, fully participate in, and benefit from social, education, and workforce opportunities.
Pillai is the Principal Investigator of the NSF's STEM Learning and Research Center at EDC, which deepens the impact of the national ITEST program through technical support, dissemination, and outreach to better prepare a diverse, skilled, and innovative STEM workforce. She is the co-PI of the Center for Innovative Research in Cyberlearning (CIRCL), and she is the co-PI of an NSF-funded initiative that led series workshops to engage renown researchers, K-12 educators, and disciplinary scientists in identifying effective strategies to support K-12 students’ computational thinking.
Pillai is the co-author of the report Next Generation STEM Learning For All (2016), the co-author of a book on gender and equity in education, More Than Title IX: How Equity in Education Has Shaped the Nation (2009), and the co-author of the chapter "Equity and Diversity" in the report Preparing Tomorrow's STEM Workforce Through Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers. She regularly presents her work at national and international conferences on STEM education, research and workforce development.
Areas of expertise: STEM education, research, program development, workforce development, computer science, computational thinking
Sarita leads national centers that advance innovative research and development and deepen understanding of effective strategies to enhance the quality and equity of STEM education. She has led several projects to design powerful, technology-based STEM educational opportunities for all students, especially those traditionally underrepresented in STEM fields. She is deeply committed to ensuring that every individual has the right to access, fully participate in, and benefit from social, education, and workforce opportunities.
Pillai is the Principal Investigator of the NSF's STEM Learning and Research Center at EDC, which deepens the impact of the national ITEST program through technical support, dissemination, and outreach to better prepare a diverse, skilled, and innovative STEM workforce. She is the co-PI of the Center for Innovative Research in Cyberlearning (CIRCL), and she is the co-PI of an NSF-funded initiative that led series workshops to engage renown researchers, K-12 educators, and disciplinary scientists in identifying effective strategies to support K-12 students’ computational thinking.
Pillai is the co-author of the report Next Generation STEM Learning For All (2016), the co-author of a book on gender and equity in education, More Than Title IX: How Equity in Education Has Shaped the Nation (2009), and the co-author of the chapter "Equity and Diversity" in the report Preparing Tomorrow's STEM Workforce Through Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers. She regularly presents her work at national and international conferences on STEM education, research and workforce development.
Areas of expertise: STEM education, research, program development, workforce development, computer science, computational thinking
