Biography

I am a STEM Education assistant professor in the Department of Education at Clarkson University. I received a BA in Psychology at Binghamton University, an MS in Chemistry for Adolescent Education at The College of Saint Rose and a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction at the University at Albany. My research areas include STEM graduate student education, graduate student self-efficacy & identity, and STEM teaching in secondary schools. Before higher-ed, I was a chemistry teacher in NYS and NYC public schools.

Courses Taught

Analyzing Science and Mathematical Theories from Philosophical and Historical
Perspectives
Modern Teacher
Chemistry student intern Supervision

Grants

  • Principal Investigator, "Watershed Education through STEM Enrichment", The NYS DEC Pollution Prevention Institute (P2I) Community Grants Program, $20,000 (Awarded 2016)
  • Co-director, David A Walsh Mini-Conference Grant, Clarkson University, $2000 (Awarded, 2016)

Publications

Rivera, S. Finish Wisely. In Kennedy, JA, Burnell, BA, authors. Women Scholars Navigating the Doctoral Journey; April, 2018 (in press).

Oliveira, A.W., Rivera, S., Glass, R., Mastroianni, M. and Wizner, F (2013). Multimodal Semiosis in Science Read-Alouds: Extending Beyond Text Delivery. Journal in Research in Science Education. DOI 10.1007/s11422-013-9531-6

Oliveira, A.W., Rivera, S., Glass, R., Mastroianni, M. and Wizner, F (2013). Teaching Science through Pictorial Models during Read-Alouds. Journal of Science Teacher Education (JSTE) 24(2), 367-389.

*Article selected for 2014 NSTA’s “Research worth reading”

Oliveira, A.W., Rogers, P., Quigley, C.F., Samburskiy, D., Barss, K., Rivera, S. (2013). Environmental Agency in Read-Alouds. Cultural Studies of Science Education. DOI 10.1007/s10972-012-9289-9

Conference Presentations

Rivera, S., Banavar, M. & Barry, D. (2018) Mobile Apps for Learning STEM. Paper to be presented at the 2018 Conference for the Association for Science Teacher Education (ASTE), Baltimore, MD.

Rivera, S. (2017) Graduate Teaching Assistants Learn like PreService Teachers--a novel idea. Paper presented at the 2017 International Association for University Presidents Conference, (IAUP), Vienna, Austria.

Rivera, S. (2017) Graduate Teaching Assistants Pedagogy. Poster presented at the 2017 Conference for the Association for Science Teacher Education (ASTE), Des Moines, IA.

Rivera, S. (2016) Scientist and Mathematician Failures. Poster presented at the 2016 Northeast Regional Association for Science Teacher Education (NE-ASTE), Tarrytown, NY.

Rivera, S. (2016) Graduate Teaching Assistants Teacher Training. Poster presented at the 2016 Northeast Regional Association for Science Teacher Education (NE-ASTE), Tarrytown, NY.

Snyder, C., Rivera, S. & DeJoy, J. (2016, April). TA Boot Camp Program Evaluation Research. Paper presented in Roundtable Discussion for the 2016 New England Educational Research Organization (NEERO), Portsmouth, NH.

Kier, M., Rivera, S. (2016, January). Exploring PreService Teachers’ Science PCK through a TeachLivE Virtual Experience. Paper presented at the 2016 Conference for the Association for Science Teacher Education (ASTE), Reno, NV.

Rivera, S. (2015, January). How teachers and students with known NOS views make sense of the NOS portrayed in trade books during science read-alouds, Paper presented at the 2015 Conference for the Association for Science Teacher Education (ASTE), Portland, OR

Rivera, S. (2013, January) The Nature of Science (NOS) in Elementary Science Read-Alouds, Paper presented at the 2013 Conference for The Association for Science Teacher Education (ASTE), Charleston, SC

Rivera, S. (2013, January) Environmental Agency in Read-Alouds, Paper presented at the 2013 Conference for The Association for Science Teacher Education (ASTE), Charleston, SC

Rivera, S. (2012, September) ELLs Learning Science, Paper presented at 2012 Symposium for the National Professional Development Grant Program: Technology-Enhanced Multimodal Instruction in Science and Math for English Language Learners, U.S. Department of Education, Office of English Language Acquisition, Albany, NY

Rivera, S. (2012, March) How the Nature of Science is Presented to Elementary Students during Science Read Alouds, Paper presented at the 2012 International Conference for the National Association of Research in Science Teaching (NARST), Indianapolis, IN

Rivera, S. (2012, March) Multimodal Semiosis in Science Read-Alouds, Paper presented at the 2012 International Conference for the National Association of Research in Science Teaching (NARST), Indianapolis, IN

Oliveira, A.W., Rivera, S., Glass, R., Mastroianni, M., Wizner, F (2012, January), Pictorial Representation in Science Read-Alouds: How Elementary Teachers Communicate Science to Children across Grade Levels, Paper to be presented at the 2012 Conference for The Association for Science Teacher Education (ASTE), Clearwater, FL

Oliveira, A.W., Rivera, S., Glass, R., Mastroianni, M., Wizner, F (2011, September), Pictorial Representation in Science Read-Alouds, Paper presented at the 2011 European Science Education Research Association (ESERA) Conference, Lyon, France

Rivera, S. (2011, April) Images of Science in School Curriculum, Paper presented at the 2011 International Conference for the National Association of Research in Science Teaching (NARST), Orlando, FL

Rivera, S. (2010, October) ChemMatters Images, paper presented at the 2010 conference of the Southeastern Association of Science Teacher Education (SASTE), Atlanta, GA

Oliveira, A.W., Rivera, S., & Mastroianni, M. (2010, October). Models and modeling approaches to mathematics instruction. Presentation at the 2010 University in the High School Program, Albany, NY