Meet the Staff - WISE
Faculty
DR. JESSICA VANDENPLAS
WISE Faculty Director
Jessie is an associate professor of chemistry at GVSU. She received a Ph.D. in educational psychology from the Catholic University of America in 2008, after completing an MS in Forensic Science at the George Washington University, and a BS in biochemistry from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Her research is focused in the area of chemistry education, and uses educational and psychological methodologies to investigate student learning in chemistry. Current research is focused on using eye-tracking techniques to examine student problem solving and cognitive load in chemistry, as well as the use of technology in the classroom.
DR. MELISSA TALLMAN
WISE Faculty Fellow
Lissa Tallman joined the GVSU biomedical sciences department in 2012. Her research focus is on human and primate evolution and specifically on the evolution of human and primate locomotion. Her current research is a mixture of laboratory based studies of primate soft tissue variation and quantitative analysis of shape and field based studies at her fossil site in the Tatacoa Desert in Colombia.
DR. KATHRYN HALEY
WISE Faculty Fellow
Kate is an assistant professor in the department of Biomedical Sciences. She received her Ph.D. in Microbiology and Immunology from Vanderbilt University. Her research focuses on pathogen host interactions. Currently her research aims at understanding how bacteria gain access to nutrient metals during infections and how bacterial metal homeostasis drives disease progression.
DR. LAURA KAPITULA
WISE Faculty Fellow
Laura currently serves as an associate professor of Statistics at Grand Valley State University. She earned a PhD in Statistics and a MS in Cognitive Psychology from the University of New Mexico. Her focus as an educator is the effective teaching of statistics with a focus on statistical computing and modeling. Her research interests include education statistics and evaluation, hierarchical modeling and longitudinal data analysis, influence diagnostics, epidemiology and statistical graphics. She is a highly experienced applied statistician and consultant who has had the opportunity to work collaboratively in many diverse content areas including: education, medicine, transportation research, human computer interaction, epidemiology and psychology.
Resident Assistants
CHARITY FOSTER
Hi my name is Charity, and I am in my fourth year here at Grand Valley State University. My major is Biomedical Sciences and my minor is African and African American Studies. My hope is to one day become a Medical Doctor and to serve underrepresented populations. Alongside my academic studies, I serve as one of Resident Assistants in WISE and I also work for the Office of Student Life. During my free time I enjoy watching movies, cooking, or hanging out with my friends.
ANGEL ELLIS
Angel is a senior majoring in Health Information Management with a minor in Health Information Systems and Information Security Systems. She is from Southfield, MI. She is a third-year RA and has lived in the Back 4 and PiCoDePew community. She is also a desk assistant for South E front desk. She enjoys holding puppies and babies. When not focusing on school, Angel has a true passion for technology and eventually wants to create graphic designs as a side hobby.
Peer Mentors
LEAH GOODRICH
Hi there, my name is Leah Goodrich! I am a third-year peer mentor in WISE and a senior at GVSU. I have a major in geology and an emphasis in chemistry. Yup, I’m a nerd. Please, bring on the science puns because they rock, and I will most definitely laugh with you! I love to be in nature and any chance to show off pictures of my puppers – Proud Dog Mom alert! Anyway, that’s a little about me. Stop on by and introduce yourself. I cannot wait to meet you all!
KATIE GIALLORETI
Hi all! My name is Katie Gialloreti! This is my first year as a peer mentor at WISE. I am a junior here at GVSU studying behavioral neuroscience and psychology! In the future, I hope to work with patients with concussions, traumatic brain injuries, and post concussion syndrome! I am also the president of GVSU women's hockey team! I'm always down for a crazy adventure and I love to listen about people's journeys and passions! I'm looking forward to meeting all of you!
EMILY LONSKEY
Emily is a sophomore at GVSU working towards a bachelor's degree in biology with a pre-veterinary medicine emphasis. Emily has been a part of WISE since arriving at GVSU and enjoys helping others with their classes and studying. Her interests include writing, drawing, playing cards, board games, and hanging out with her pets.
LIZZY SIELAFF
My name is Lizzy, and this my second year here at Grand Valley. I’m majoring in Biochemistry with hopes of going to graduate school in Chemistry Education. Alongside my academic studies, I’m also a McNair scholar and an avid undergraduate researcher. You can always find me close by working on chemistry homework, doing research or hanging out with all the wonderful friends I’ve made here in WISE! I love chatting with and getting to know my fellow WISE-ians, so please stop by and say hello!