Lauren Ashman has been involved in education for 12 years, in both traditional and non-traditional capacities. As an education and outreach coordinator for an environmental organization, Lauren visited schools, delivering lessons on human impacts on Earth systems. As a teacher naturalist at Shaw Nature Reserve, Lauren engaged students in the natural world, providing experiential opportunities learning about Missouri ecosystems. Before joining the ISP, Lauren taught middle school Earth and Planetary Science at Lift For Life Academy.
In her role at the ISP, Lauren has translated her passion for the natural world into a curriculum that engages students in authentic science and engineering. She places a specific emphasis on expanding student access to Earth Science in K-12 education. Additionally, Lauren develops and facilitates professional development for partner districts, emphasizing best practices in science teaching . Her goal is to help remove barriers for science teachers, and in doing so, help teachers provide opportunities for rigorous and equitable science sensemaking to all students in their classrooms.
Lauren is a graduate of Saint Louis University. She holds a degree in Environmental Science. Outside of her professional life, Lauren can be found spending time with her family at the various parks around the St. Louis region, riding her bike, and building her future farm.