Kelly Hoke is a researcher and consultant at Oregon State University’s STEM Research Center. She is an interdisciplinary researcher, combining her academic training across environmental and social sciences. At the heart of her research lies the exploration of how our experiences and environment shape development, influencing our relationships and interactions with the natural world.

Drawing on more than a decade of experience in natural resource management, program design, and professional development, Kelly brings a systems-level perspective to her work that is anchored in mutual learning and collaboration. She has led and contributed to projects that strengthen partnerships between researchers, educators, and communities, including initiatives such as interPLAY: Early Learners Developing STEM Skills through Play and Design, the Undergraduate Field Experiences Network (U-FERN), and the On-the-Spot Assessment (OTS) project to improve scientist–public engagement.

Prior to her graduate studies, Kelly spent over a decade working in natural resource management and environmental education. Currently, she is a Doctoral Candidate in the Environmental Sciences Graduate Program at OSU. She holds a Master of Science in Human Development and Family Studies from Oregon State University and a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Lenoir-Rhyne University.

Kelly is available to collaborate with organizations and researchers seeking evaluation or applied research.

Current Projects:

• Collaborative Futures: Community-Engaged Ecology to Bridge Research and Local Interests (C Futures) (2024 - 2025)
• Learning In and From the Environment Through Multiple Ways of Knowing (LIFEways) (2022 - 2026)

Past Projects:

• Grounding Institutional Partnerships in Structures for Broader Impacts Design (BID) (2017-2022)
• interPLAY: Early Learners Developing STEM Skills through Play and Design (2020-2024)
• On-the-Spot Assessment to Improve Scientist Engagement with the Public (OTS) (2018-2021)
• U-FERN: Undergraduate Field Experiences Network (2017-2022)