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STEM Research Center

Portrait of Nancy Staus outside

Nancy Staus

Senior Researcher
Department of STEM Research Center
Oregon State University
Portrait of Nancy Staus outside

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Curriculum Vitae (PDF)

Nancy Staus

Senior Researcher
Department of STEM Research Center
Oregon State University

Dr. Staus joined the STEM Research Center as a senior researcher in 2018, also serving an appointment in OSU's College of Education. Previously, she worked as a Conservation Biologist at a variety of non-profit organizations including The Nature Conservancy. She also taught introductory non-majors biology courses at Linn-Benton Community College. During this time, she noticed that many topics in biology (e.g., evolution, climate change) triggered strong emotions in learners, and her doctoral research investigated the effects of emotion on both short- and long-term science-learning outcomes, particularly in informal science learning settings.

Nancy’s research interests include the role of affective constructs such as emotions and interest in learning science both in and out-of-school, the structure and function of STEM ecosystems in supporting STEM learning and persistence, encouraging girls in STEM learning, public engagement in science, and the use of novel methodologies (e.g., person-centered approaches) for better understanding how and why people persist in STEM. She is an active member of the ‘Science Learning in Informal Contexts’ strand of NARST and served as co-coordinator of the strand from 2018-2020.

Nancy has a Ph.D. in Science Education from Oregon State University and an M.S. in Conservation Biology from the University of Minnesota.

Current Projects:

Past Projects:

Publications

  • Falk, J. H., Dierking, L. D., & Staus, N. L. (2020). The Use of Ecological Concepts in the Social Sciences: Measuring the Productivity, Durability & Resilience of Learning Ecosystems. Ecology & Conservation Science: Open Access, 1(3), 78–79. https://doi.org/10.19080/ECOA.2020.01.555563
  • Falk, J. H., Dierking, L. D., Staus, N. L., Wyld, J. N., Bailey, D. L., & Penuel, W. R. (2016). The Synergies research-practice partnership project: a 2020 Vision case study. Cultural Studies of Science Education 11, 195-212. DOI https://doi.org/10.1007/s11422-015-9716-2
  • Falk, J. H. & Staus, N. L. (2013). Free-choice learning and ecotourism. In R. Ballantyne & J. Packer (Eds.), International handbook on ecotourism. (pp. 155-168). Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar Publishing Limited.
  • Falk, J. H., Staus, N., Dierking, L. D., Wyld, J., Bailey, D., & Penuel, W. R. (2015). The Synergies project: Preliminary results and insights from two years of longitudinal survey research. Museology Quarterly, 29(1), 15-21.
  • Falk, J. H., Staus, N. L., Dierking, L. D., Penuel, W., Wyld, J., Bailey, D. (2016). Understanding youth STEM interest pathways within a single community: the Synergies project. International Journal of Science Education, Part B, 11, 195-212. DOI https://doi.org/10.1080/21548455.2015.1093670
  • Shaby, N., Staus, N., Dierking, L. D., & Falk, J. H. (2021). Pathways of interest and participation: How STEM-interested youth navigate a learning ecosystem. Science Education, 105(4), 628-652. https://doi.org/10.1002/sce.21621
  • Staus, N. L. (2019). The educational value of zoos: An empirical perspective. In B. Fischer (Ed.), The Routledge Handbook of Animal Ethics. (pp. 367-380)
  • Staus, N. L., Falk, J. H., Price, A., Tai, R. H., & Dierking, L. D. (2021). Measuring the long-term effects of informal science education experiences: Challenges and potential solutions. Disciplinary and Interdisciplinary Science Education Research, 3(1), 3. https://doi.org/10.1186/s43031-021-00031-0
  • Staus, N. L., & Falk, J. H. (2017). The Role of Emotion in Informal Science Learning: Testing an Exploratory Model. Mind, Brain, and Education, 11(2), 45–53. https://doi.org/10.1111/mbe.12139
  • Staus, N., & Falk, J. H. (2013). The Role of Emotion in Ecotourism Experiences. In R. Ballantyne & J. Packer (Eds.), International Handbook on Ecotourism (pp. 178–191). Edward Elgar Publishing Limited.
  • Staus, N. L., Falk, J. H., Penuel, W., Dierking, L., Wyld, J., & Bailey, D. (2020). Interested, Disinterested, or Neutral: Exploring STEM Interest Profiles and Pathways in A Low-Income Urban Community. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, 16(6), em1853. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/7927
  • Staus, N. L., Falk, J. H., Price, A., Tai, R. H., & Dierking, L. D. (2021). Measuring the long-term effects of informal science education experiences: Challenges and potential solutions. Disciplinary and Interdisciplinary Science Education Research, 3(1), 3. https://doi.org/10.1186/s43031-021-00031-0
  • Staus, N.L., Lesseig, K., Lamb, R., Falk, J.H., & Dierking, L. (2019). Validation of a measure of STEM interest for adolescents. International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education. DOI https://doi.org/10.1007/s10763-019-09970-7
  • Staus, N. L., O’Connell, K., & Storksdieck, M. (2021). Addressing the Ceiling Effect when Assessing STEM Out-Of-School Time Experiences. Frontiers in Education, 6, 246. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2021.69043
  • Staus, N., Riedinger, K., & Storksdieck, M. (accepted). Informal STEM Education. In International Encyclopedia of Education (4th ed.). Elsevier.