Principal Investigator:
M. Elizabeth Barnes
Liz is an Assistant Professor at Middle Tennessee State University in the Department of Biology. She was trained as a Discipline-Based Education Researcher with a focus in Biology Education. She is most interested in studying how to effectively teach and communicate about controversial science topics using principles from social sciences so that we can mitigate polarization about these topics in society. She earned her Ph.D. in Biology as a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow at Arizona State University studying how to reduce tension between religion and evolution. She now runs the Social Perceptions of Science lab at Middle Tennessee State University where she studies how to teach evolution, vaccines, and climate change to undergraduate students. Liz's research has been highlighted in Scientific American, the Smithsonian, and BBC radio.
In 2023, Liz received the NSF CAREER award to investigate and support undergraduate science students' ability to communicate about culturally controversial science topics.
Contact Information
Elizabeth Barnes, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Department of Biology,
Middle Tennessee State University
Email: liz.barnes@mtsu.edu
Twitter: @lizard_barnacle
Office Telephone: (615) 898 - 5449
Mailing Address: 1301 E. Main st. Box 60, Murfreesboro, TN 37132
Office Location: SCI 1163
Lab Location: SCI 1165