About STEM ED

Sibrina N. Collins earned a PhD in inorganic chemistry from The Ohio State University and her undergraduate degree in chemistry from Wayne State University. She most recently served as Executive Director of STEM Education and Associate Professor of Practice in Chemistry at Lawrence Technological University. She has previously held appointments at Claflin University,
College of Wooster, University of Washington and The Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History. Her research efforts include inorganic chemistry, chemical education, history of science and storytelling in the STEM fields. Dr. Collins has published in high-impact journals including the Journal of Chemical Education, the Bulletin for the History of Chemistry, Nature and Nature Chemistry.

Zach comes to EMU after several years as the Director of Communications for the Alabama Water Institute at The University of Alabama where he led a team of science communicators for the institute. Zach holds a Master of Science in Integrated Scientific Applications (Environmental Earth Systems Management Concentration) from Millersville University and a Bachelor of Science in Atmospheric Science from Cornell University. While at Millersville, Zach served as a Graduate Research Assistant in the Education Foundations department working on an NSF grant to develop a career-oriented middle school watershed sustainability curriculum. Zach’s passion for education and outreach stretches back to his years as The Weather Wizard and Education & Outreach Chair for the Cornell Chapter of the American Meteorological society, visiting over 40 classrooms to teach about weather and physical sciences. In his free time, Zach loves to travel—exploring nature, attending concerts, and trying new foods.

Dr. Casey is a professor of mathematics education at Eastern Michigan Univeristy. Her research focuses on preparing secondary teachers to teach data literacy and statistics, motivated by her experience teaching secondary mathematics for fourteen years. She will be doing research on students' understandings of modern data visualizations in collaboration with the Univeristy of Canberra, Australia, as a Fulbright Scholar in 2024. Visit her prfessional website for more information. 

Hello I am La'Quinda Williams and I am the Senior Secretary for the STEM Ed Institute here at Eastern Michigan University. I am from Saginaw, MI and I graduated from EMU in April, 2007 with a B.S. in Communications. While studying at EMU I worked as a Student Office Assistant in the Records and Registration and also the Math Department to help pay for School. I work for Eastern because I can relate to the students because I was once in there shoes. My hobbies are trying new foods, shopping, and sports. 

Hello! My name is Joshua Alarcon, or Josh for short, and I'm originally from Orlando, FL. I moved to the Metro Detroit, Michigan area when I was younger and fall in love with this state every day. I recently got my Bachelor of Science in Communication Sciences & Disorders from Eastern Michigan University and just began the graduate program at the same university to become a Speech-Language Pathologist. My goal is to work with traumatic brain injury patients to make a positive impact with those who have had to endure a tough moment in their lives. While balancing an everyday life while in graduate school can be tedious, I tend to distract myself and give myself a moment to breathe by engaging in some of the things I love: going out with friends, trying new foods, and playing pickleball at my community courts. Spreading positivity and acceptance is what I live by and expect to create a difference in the future.

Raj Rahman: Inspiring the Future of STEM

From a small village in Bangladesh to the STEM Education Institute at Eastern Michigan University, the journey of Raj Rahman truly depicts his passion for learning and innovation. Inspired by the science shows, Raj pursued mechanical engineering to design robotic prosthetics and thereby living his motto: "to be consumed in service".

The son of a military doctor, Raj grew up in 18 cities and went to 15 schools, building his adaptability and his connection with diverse people. His philosophy is simple: "Yesterday, I wasn't good at something; today, I'll master it; tomorrow, I'll teach it."

At STEM-Ed, Raj and his team collaborates with Toyota's Driving Possibilities initiative to bring experiential learning opportunities to students in K-12- hands-on robotics, field trips, and so forth. He has visited 12 states and 20 cities within the span of one year on the purpose of stirring the spark among the young.

Raj is also an American Red Cross-certified lifeguard, a Baja racing team member building 4x4 vehicles and racing them in SAE  Racing Competition, and fluent in Bengali, Hindi, English, and Urdu. In his free time, he enjoys swimming, cycling, cooking, and road trips, which exemplifies his commitment to lifelong learning and service.