Project Team
Aimee Barber, M.S., co-principal investigator, an instructor of educational technology, curriculum, and pedagogy in the College of Education at UL Lafayette. Mrs. Barber holds a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and a master’s degree in Education of the Gifted. She is currently completing coursework for a doctoral degree in Curriculum, Teaching, and Teacher Education through the University of Florida. She has more than 10 years of experience designing and implementing curriculum for diverse learners.
Margaret Paine holds a bachelor's degree in fine art from the University of Texas at Austin and is owner and principle designer of ZP Graphic, located in Austin, Texas. Margaret has 20+ years of experience creating art in traditional and digital media. Her work includes graphic design, illustration, art direction, fine art, portraiture, and web design.
Peter Sheppard, Ph.D., co-principal investigator, has served as PI or Co-PI on nearly two-dozen funded projects valued at roughly $5 million since 2006. He has received $3 million in external funding to support mathematics and science teacher education from NSF. His largest current project is the $1.8 million Louisiana Mathematics Masters in the Middle (LaM3) by NSF.
Sam Stier is the Founding Director of The Center for Learning With Nature (the bigger person in the photo). A National Science Foundation Fellow in STEM curricula design, Sam was appointed to the NGSS review team by the State of Montana's Department of Education in 2012. An ecologist by training, Sam has been an environmental consultant for The Nature Conservancy, WWF, Monterrey Bay Aquarium, World Bank and others, and founded and directed the Youth and Public Education Programs at the Biomimicry Institute (started by author Janine Benyus). In addition to directing The Center for Learning with Nature, Sam also teaches bio-inspired design at Otis College.
Douglas Williams, Ph.D. is Director of CILAT and a professor of educational technology in the College of Education. He holds bachelor and masters degrees in computer science from UL Lafayette. He completed a doctoral degree in Instructional Technology at the University of Texas at Austin. Dr. Williams worked as a programmer for more than 10 years in the United States, Sweden and Australia.