Research & Evaluation
WCS is committed to advancing the fields of informal science learning through rigorous research and evaluation.
Our educational research and evaluation team collects data to measure the reach and impact of our programs, improve our practice, and contribute to a broader understanding of informal science education. Our efforts are organized around several key audiences: schoolchildren, youth, teachers, zoo and aquarium visitors, and community. We study who we serve and how to broaden our reach, the impacts of zoo and aquarium-based education on perceptions of science, strategies to promote science interest among youth, and teachers’ self-efficacy engaging students in science learning, among other topics.
2024 Education Department Overview
For more details about our research and evaluation work by audience, please click the tiles below.
Meet the Team
Su-Jen Roberts, PhD, Director of Educational Research & Evaluation
Research interests: youth STEM identity development; sense of belonging in science; personal relevance in conservation education; representation and equity in STEM.
Shelley “Shuli” Rank, MA, Research and Evaluation Manager
Research interests: visitor experiences; ambassador animal programs; live interpretation; environmental identity and behaviors.
Delaney Wellington, Evaluation Associate
Research interests: urban climate resilience and adaptations; "superfoods" economic and environmental impacts; environmental justice.
Tess Gavrielle Levinson, PhD, Curatorial Science Fellow
Research interests: Positive youth development; youth empowerment from STEM; character strength development; career development in conservation and STEM; play