Mentors
Dana Vukajlovich is a professor of geology and oceanography at Bellevue College, a community college in Washington state. She studied geochemistry at Caltech for her Bachelor’s degree and went on to Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UCSD for her Master’s degree in oceanography. She had the chance to go to sea as a college student and found a passion for oceanography and research at sea. After getting her master’s degree, she worked in multiple science outreach and informal education programs, including summer camps, science museums, a college-at-sea program, and non-profit environmental groups. Since 2015, she has been teaching oceanography and enjoying the chance to spark interest in the natural world in her students. She is excited to be involved in getting more community college students and faculty the opportunity to experience research at sea through STEMSEAS. Dana is one of our community college liaisons and part of the leadership team for the STEMSEAS 2YC faculty cruises in 2023 and 2026.
Callan Bentley is Associate Professor of Geology at Piedmont Virginia Community College in Charlottesville, Virginia. He is a structural geologist with a deep interest in the long-term evolution of the Appalachian mountain belt, the Rocky Mountain west, and the Pacific margin of the continent. Callan is Past President of both the Geological Society of Washington and the Geo2YC Division of the National Association of Geoscience Teachers. He is a GSA Fellow and the current president of the Virginia Geological Field Conference. Callan served as a STEMSEAS mentor in 2024 on a Seward to Nome transit; he was a participant in the first STEMSEAS 2YC transit from Seattle to Honolulu in 2022. He has built a rich online presence dedicated to spreading understanding about the Earth sciences, including co-authoring the free online text“book” Historical Geology. He is a birder and a fan of crossword puzzles.
Dr. Cristina Cardona is an Associate Professor at the Community College of Baltimore County, Essex. She teaches Environmental Science, Oceanography, and other Physical Science courses. She earned a B.S. and M.S. in Environmental Science from Dickinson College and American University. Her Ed.D. dissertation focused on non-science majors in community college online physical science courses. She has sailed on the 2YC STEMSEAS cruise from Seattle to Honolulu and on a student cruise in the Chesapeake Bay.
Marina Halverson knew from a young age that she wanted to study the ocean even though she grew up in landlocked Minnesota. She took as many aquatic science electives as possible (plankton biology, ichthyology, lake ecology) while working toward a B.S. in Biology from the University of Minnesota – Duluth. The following year she moved to Hawaii to pursue an M.S. in Biological Oceanography at the University of Hawaii. During her time at UH, she enjoyed researching marine microbes at the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology but discovered a real passion for teaching during her time as a teaching assistant. Since 2013 she has been on the faculty at Seattle Central College teaching oceanography, marine biology, and general biology. Some favorite hobbies are tidepooling, beachcombing, and hiking on the Olympic Peninsula. Marina serves as one of STEMSEAS’ community college Liaisons and co-led the first 2YC Faculty expedition in 2023.
Participants
Beth Dushman teaches Oceanography and other Geoscience courses at Howard Community College in Columbia, MD. Prior to working at HCC, Beth taught at Del Mar College in Corpus Christi, Texas, where she founded and advised the Geology Club, enabling students to engage in what was often their first field experience. In addition to teaching, Beth has worked as a ground penetrating radar analyst in the construction industry. Beth has an undergraduate degree in Geology from Colby College and a Master’s in Geology from the University of California at Davis. As an undergraduate student, she unexpectedly got an opportunity to participate in a research cruise, and that life-changing experience shifted her focus to marine geology, and then to teaching. She is thrilled about this opportunity to go back out to sea, and even more excited about the potential to share that experience with community college students.
Halle Morrison is an assistant professor of geology, chemistry, and physics at Malcolm X College (MXC) in Chicago, IL. She is a geologist and former consultant with interests in earthquake geology, active faulting, kinematics, geophysical techniques, and structural geology of the Bay Area, Los Angeles basin, and the Mojave desert of California. She holds degrees in geology (MS, San Jose State University) and analytical chemistry (MS, Northeastern Illinois University), with graduate coursework in physics (MS, East Texas A&M University). Her work at a very diverse institution like MXC serves many kinds of learners, and she collaborates extensively with in-district, local, and regional organizations to enhance student support and success. She serves as an UndocuAlly, an advocate network for undocumented students within the City Colleges of Chicago. She is also a contributor to Chicago’s section of the Association of Women in Science (AWIS), the Chicago section of the Sierra Club, SJSU(2) alumni mentoring, the Illinois Association of Geoscience Instructors (IAGI), the Chicago Section of the American Chemical Society (ACS), Supporting and Advancing Geoscience Education at Two-Year Colleges (SAGE 2YC) Project, part of the National Association of Geoscience Teachers (NAGT), and MXC’s Chemistry and Biology clubs. Her main goal in her teaching is to change attitudes about the physical sciences and give a more positive and FUN experience in the classroom through active learning, critical thinking, and constant reinvention of assessment techniques.
John Burris is a Professor of Geology at San Juan College in Farmington, New Mexico, where he has been teaching since 2004. He completed his master’s degree at the University of Wyoming, studying reworked fossil shark teeth, then went on to study fossil shark vertebrae for his Ph.D. at Michigan State University. John has always had a passion for helping students expand their comfort zone through field experiences, and the high desert of the Four Corners region offers ample opportunities for his students. John is excited to try something completely new through STEMSEAS and encourage SJC’s students to have life-changing experiences on the ocean too. Outside of teaching, John can be found playing his euphonium in a variety of brass ensembles and bands, playing tabletop games, camping and hiking in the mountains, and taking his dog on long walks in the desert.
Jordan Adams (she/her) is an Assistant Professor of Geology at Delgado Community College in New Orleans, Louisiana. Originally from the Lehigh Valley of Pennsylvania, she has always had an inordinate fondness for rivers. In 2011, her river dreams brought her to New Orleans, where she later completed a Ph.D. in quantitative fluvial geomorphology at Tulane University. Following a brief post-doctoral stint at the University of Colorado Boulder, she moved back to make her permanent home in New Orleans and follow her true passion: teaching. Beyond the classroom, Dr. A has co-chaired the annual STEAM Fest at Delgado, hosting thousands of students over 4 years. She also serves as co-PI for the NSF grant Developing Environmental Leadership Through Accessible Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experience. In her (very limited) free time, she enjoys quilting, reading non-fiction, and parading with The Leijorettes.
Dr. Anil Kapoor is a Professor of Anatomy and Physiology at Phoenix College, where he has spent nearly 20 years inspiring students in both major and non-major biology courses. A dedicated educator, Dr. Kapoor was honored with the Distinguished Teaching Award at Phoenix College in 2023. His teaching philosophy centers on the “One Health” connection—the idea that human longevity is deeply tied to a healthy environment and the principle of “food as medicine.” While his classroom work focuses on the intricate systems of the human body, Dr. Kapoor is an avid swimmer. He is excited to join the STEMSEAS expedition to explore the vital links between ocean health and human physiological well-being. He looks forward to bringing these multidisciplinary insights back to his A&P students, demonstrating how even the most landlocked classroom is connected to the sea.
Janice Ledgerwood is a multidisciplinary artist and professor of digital art at Clovis Community College in Fresno, California. Her work connects art and science through comics, animation, and immersive projects that translate complex research into visual stories.
She collaborated with scientists through Polar STEAM, where she developed a comic book exploring their Arctic research with her students. Janice presented this work at the American Geophysical Union, along with a poster documenting the comic’s development process. Her practice focuses on making science accessible through narrative, experimental mapping, and visualization projects that blend data, place, and personal observation.
Janice is especially interested in how art and storytelling can capture the experience of being embedded in scientific environments. During the STEMSEAS expedition, she will create an accordion-fold book that explores the relationship between deep time and human time. One side will trace deep time through layered visualizations of existing data—earthquake faults, bathymetry, whale migration routes, wind and ocean currents, and the Milky Way—while the other will document human time through in situ observations and experiences, coordinates, and traces of daily activity aboard the ship. The artwork will remain open and responsive, allowing new scientific and experiential insights from the voyage to extend either side of the narrative.
Dr. Lisa Eccles is a Professor in the Natural Sciences Division at Walters State Community College in East Tennessee. She holds an A.A. from Santa Fe Community College in Chemistry, a B.S. from Christopher Newport University in Biology, a M.S. from The Medical College of Virginia of Virginia Commonwealth University in Clinical Laboratory Science, and a Ph.D. from Old Dominion University and Eastern Virginia Medical School in Biomedical Science. Additionally, Dr. Eccles holds clinical certifications as a Clinical Laboratory Scientist in Chemistry and a Diplomat in Laboratory Medicine. She has a diverse background teaching courses in anatomy and physiology, microbiology, environmental science, genetics, biology, chemistry, kinesiology, and pathophysiology, as well as in serving as a course developer for several Tennessee Board of Regents classes in various formats. She has over twenty years of experience mentoring student research with publications while also holding positions as a research director, journal editor, and symposium chair. Additionally, Dr. Eccles has extensive experience serving as a chapter and regional advisor for the Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society mentoring students and helping them to secure more than $20 million in scholarships over the past decade. In her spare time, Dr. Eccles enjoys hiking, camping, and volunteering in her community with her husband and four daughters.
Rus Higley has been an adjunct faculty member at Highline College for over 25 years, a community college about 30 minutes south of Seattle, where he teaches introduction to both oceanography and marine biology. His primary role is as the Director of Highline’s MaST Center Aquarium, which is a community sized aquarium located over the waters of Puget Sound. One of his priorities has been creating undergraduate research experiences around marine science. Another project he’s been working on was to get Des Moines, Washington named as the Sixgill Shark Capital of the World due the fact that under his pier is one of the most popular dive sites in the Puget Sound and where divers can come face to face with the amazing Sixgill.
Karen Yip is Geology Program Coordinator and Instructor at Houston City College. She teaches Physical Geology, Earth Science, Environmental Science, and Oceanography. She grew up at the foot of the San Gabriel Mountains in California, earned her A.B. in Geosciences at Franklin & Marshall College in the Pennsylvania Piedmont, and explored a Basin and Range basin in Sonora, Mexico, while pursuing graduate work at UC Santa Barbara. While her geoscience training was terrestrially centered, she has come to LOVE teaching Oceanography. During many Earth Educators’ Rendezvous events and at an Ocean Data Labs workshop in 2025 she has gained marine-knowledge to share with HCC students. At HCC she is involved in the Faculty Senate and committees supporting student success, curriculum, and faculty advocacy. When she’s not on campus Karen can be found documenting pollinators and wildlife in her native plant garden or visiting her kids’ schools to talk about how much geology ROCKS. She is really looking forward to sharing STEMSEAS experience with students at many levels.
Pete Berquist is an Assistant Professor of Geology at Virginia Peninsula Community College (VPCC) and serves as Chair for the Geology Department and Unmanned Systems Program. He teaches a breadth of classes in Geology, Geographic Information Systems, and uncrewed aircraft (a.k.a. “drones”). For nearly two decades, Pete has been on the forefront of field-based education especially for 2-Year College students. He has contributed to several NAGT-recognized “Exemplary” teaching resources, co-authored modules with the NSF-funded InTeGrate project, and was involved with the SAGE 2YC program for nearly a decade. Through these efforts, Pete has has published highly-regarded geoscience educational resources, provided numerous faculty workshops on improving student success, and is nationally known for incorporating innovative course-based research experiences. His research interests range from Appalachian assembly using geochronology and isotope geochemistry, geologic mapping, and more recently dabbling in paleoclimatology and novel approaches to engaging citizens with scientific research. Berquist led the acquisition of VPCC’s Oceanographic Research Vessel, the R/V Investigator, and oversees all operational aspects of this unique teaching platform. Pete earned BS and MS degrees in Geology from William & Mary and Vanderbilt University, respectively. In 2025 Berquist was awarded the Outstanding Faculty Award from the State Council of Higher Education in Virginia. Outside of teaching, Pete loves anything on the water, biking, and exploring the natural world with his family.
