Meet the Director Dr. M. Anne Basham, M.Phil, Ed.D
"No one can be authentically human while he prevents others from being so." —Paulo Freire Pedagogy of the Oppressed
Education has the potential of being transformative by liberating minds, and changing how we engage with and view the world. Current projects and programs emerged after some 15 years of developing informal science programs aimed at reaching diverse populations, ages, and abilities.
Dr. Basham received her BA degree in anthropology from Indiana University followed by a M.Phil degree in Museum studies from Cambridge University, England where she interned at the Horniman Natural History museum in London. In 2012 she received a doctorate in Educational Leadership and Innovation with a focus on action research and critical pedagogy introducing citizen science in English language classrooms serving adult immigrants and refugees. She later worked for five years as an educational coordinator at the Arizona State University Museum of Natural History where she was involved in the development of community outreach programs serving K-12 as well as GED students, English language learners, and seniors. It was during that time she was also involved in developing an interactive discovery center at the museum's new location in Tempe for the purpose of connecting the public with biodiversity collections.
Dr. Basham has research interests in critical pedagogy, ecology, traditional knowledge systems, climate justice, data equity, multicultural publishing, and development of community-based science programs.
Dr. Basham continues to advocate for education that will inspire creative critical thinkers and compassionate changemakers as we address the current challenges of our changing planet.
