Maggie Dehart Renken

Maggie Renken is an Associate Professor with tenure in the Department of Learning Sciences at Georgia State University in Atlanta, Georgia. She also serves as the Program Director for the Educational Psychology program which offers a concentration in the College of Education and Human Development's Bachelors in Interdisciplinary Studies (BIS) degree, an undergraduate minor, a MS, and PhD. Research she conducted while a student at the University of Wyoming was recognized with the American Psychological Association's Paul Pintrich Outstanding Dissertation Award, and she has been recognized by her current institution with awards for excellence in research. She continues to do both basic and applied research on scientific thinking, STEM learning, and the underrepresentation of African American student in STEM majors and the STEM workforce. Her research has been funded by the National Science Foundation, the University System of Georgia STEM Initiative, and the GSU Center for Research on Challenges in Acquiring Language and Literacy. She serves on the Academic Editorial Board for the flagship open access journal, PLoS One and has been appointed by Provost Risa Palm to work on a university committee to redesign the curricular experience for undergraduates in a way that better prepares students for entry in to the 21st century workforce. Her doctoral advisees have gone on to postdoctoral and faculty positions at Purdue University, Mercer University, and Georgia Southwestern University. Maggie is also the Executive Director of an education and youth development non-profit, the Appalachian Institute for Creative Learning that offers summer camp programming in arts, academics, and well-being for 3rd-12th grade motivated learners. In her free time, she maintains a year round garden while watching her 3 daughters ride horses in their backyard.