Melissa Collins

Melissa Collins is Evaluation Lead of the IPT Project. As a Senior Research Lead at the Lawrence Hall of Science, she leads diverse STEM education research and evaluation projects to study the design, implementation, and outcomes of formal and informal STEM activities and professional learning initiatives. Her work focuses on understanding how individual, sociocultural, pedagogical, and contextual factors interact to influence STEM outcomes for a wide range of populations and across diverse learning experiences. As a researcher and evaluator, she frequently forms partnerships with program designers, educators, and community organizations such that research and evaluation data can be used to to inform decision-making. While IPT is her first time evaluating a three-way research-practice partnership, she has previously conducted evaluations for nonprofit organizations and university initiatives to help educational designers understand their program’s strengths, impact, and areas for improvement.