Noemi Waight is an Associate Professor of Science education in the Department of Learning and Instruction in the Graduate School of Education. Dr. Waight earned her PhD in Science Education from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Dr. Waight’s research examines the design, development, implementation, adoption, and enactment of technological tools (e.g., computer-based models, bioinformatics tools, databases) in the context of central, reform-based, K-12 science teaching approaches. Two complimentary perspectives guide this research: First, she examines the enactment of technological tools by documenting the full cycle from design and development to actual implementation in science classrooms. Second, to fully understand the implications of the above cycle, her research seeks to elucidate the theoretical underpinnings of the Nature of Technology (NoT) as it pertains to K-12 science education, and empirically examine the factors, conditions, and agencies that impact and mediate enactment of technology in science education. In addition, Dr. Waight’s work has evolved to examine the role of school leadership and STEM implementation and the role of inquiry-based learning in the US and Japan. Dr. Waight currently serves on the Executive Board of the National Association for Research in Science Teaching (NARST).