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Suzanne E. Hiller Blue Swallow Farm Foundation

Suzanne E. Hiller, PhD, has worked in the field of education as a practitioner, professor,

researcher, and evaluator for over three decades. Notably, she was the Teacher Naturalist with

the Smithsonian Institutions National Museum of Natural History. She has served as an assistant

professor teaching educational psychology, program evaluation, research, and preservice

teacher courses in curriculum and assessment. While affiliated with Wingate University, she was

the Director of the Graduate Education Program and the Director of Multidisciplinary Studies

in Education with Hood College.

Currently, she is the Executive Director of the Blue Swallow Farm Foundation, an organization

dedicated to promoting inclusive, authentic experiences in outdoor education through

research and training while motivating students in STEM careers. In light of this mission,

Suzanne E. Hiller has been working with educators, administrators, researchers, and scientists

on a variety of projects related to professional development, curriculum development, and

research, with a particular emphasis on outdoor classrooms and citizen science. Most recently,

she has conducted a series of research studies on the impact of water quality programs on student

STEM achievement, career motivation, environmental attitudes, and social-emotional

well-being. Through this type of research, professional development on designing and utilizing

About the Authors xxxi

outdoor classrooms, curriculum resources for educators, and mentorship and support for doctoral

students, she continues to encourage growing interest in providing students with exposure

in STEM activities within natural settings.

In support of educational research at large, Suzanne E. Hiller has served on the editorial

board for the International Journal of Mathematical Education in Science and Technology and the

Journal of Experimental Education. She has also been a reviewer for a variety of journals, such as

Learning and Individual Differences; Learning, Culture, and Social Interaction; and Heliyon. She

has written one book on using metacognitive and self-regulatory strategies to promote student

science achievement and coedited one book on fostering STEM career motivation through citizen

science.

Her background in motivation and self-regulation was particularly relevant as a co-principal

investigator on a grant from the Maryland Governors Emergency Relief Fund to provide assistance

for teachers during the recent health crisis. Using an online format, the program serviced

teachers across the state of Maryland with presentations, mentorship, and projects related to

social-emotional learning, trauma-informed practices, mind-brain education, and self-regulation,

all topics that were critical for student success during the pandemic. The experience of

working on this grant serves as a model for several upcoming programs to train educators and

administrators in outdoor instruction through the Blue Swallow Farm Foundation as well as to

develop curricular materials for outdoor learning, Grades K12.