Who are the program authors?
Michael A. DiSpezio
Global Educator
North Falmouth, Massachusetts
Michael DiSpezio is a renaissance educator who segued from the research laboratory of a Nobel Prize winner to the K–12 science classroom. He has authored or co-authored numerous textbooks and trade books. For nearly a decade he worked with the JASON Project under the auspices of the National Geographic Society, where he designed curriculum, wrote lessons, and hosted dozens of studio and location broadcasts. Over the past two decades, DiSpezio has developed supplementary material for organizations and programs that include PBS Scientific American Frontiers, Discover Magazine, and the Discovery Channel. To all his projects, he brings his extensive background in science and his expertise in classroom teaching at the elementary, middle, and high school levels.
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Michael DiSpezio's Misconception Mania and STEM Workshop
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Michael R. Heithaus
Director, School of Environment and Society
Associate Professor, Department of Biological Sciences
Florida International University
North Miami, Florida
Mike Heithaus joined the Florida International University Biology Department in 2003, has served as Director of the Marine Sciences Program, and is now Director of the School of Environment and Society, which brings together the natural and social sciences and humanities to develop solutions to today's environmental challenges. His research efforts include the Shark Bay Ecosystem Project in Western Australia. He also served as a Research Fellow with National Geographic, using remote imaging in his research and hosting a Crittercam television series on the National Geographic Channel. His current research centers on predator-prey interactions among vertebrates.
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Dr. Mike's classroom visit
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Marjorie Frank
Science Writer and Content-Area Reading Specialist
Brooklyn, New York
An educator and linguist by training, a writer and poet by nature, Marjorie Frank has authored and designed a generation of instructional materials in all subject areas, including past HMH Science programs. Her other credits include authoring science issues of an award-winning children's magazine; writing game-based digital assessments in math, reading, and language arts; and serving as instructional designer and co-author of pioneering school-to-work software for a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving reading and math skills for middle and high school learners. In addition, she has served on the adjunct faculty of Hunter, Manhattan, and Brooklyn Colleges, teaching courses in science methods, literacy, and writing.
Donna M. Ogle
Professor of Reading and Language
National-Louis University
Chicago, Illinois
Creator of the well-known KWL strategy, Donna Ogle has directed many staff development projects translating theory and research into school practice in schools throughout the United States. She is a past president of the International Reading Association and has served as a consultant on literacy projects worldwide. Her extensive international experience includes coordinating the Reading and Writing for Critical Thinking Project in Eastern Europe and speaking and consulting on projects in several Latin American countries and in Asia. Her books include Reading Comprehension: Strategies for Independent Learners, All Children Read, and Literacy for a Democratic Society.