Deborah J. Trumbull, PhD Associate Professor Director of Graduate Studies, Education Cornell University, Ithaca, NY

Deborah Trumbull worked as a science teacher in several community colleges for several years before gaining a doctorate in Educational Psychology at the University of Illinois, with a focus on program evaluation. After completing the doctorate, she taught evaluation and research design at St. John's University, then joined the faculty of Cornell University in 1986. She has worked in teacher education for all of her years at Cornell University, first establishing an  integrated program for the preparation of secondary science and mathematics teachers, then expanding this to include the teaching of agriculture sciences. This program continues to evolve to meet the interests of new faculty members, the needs of the schools, and concerns of the students.  A longitudinal study of program graduates led to Trumbull's first book. Currently she is collaborating with the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology on curriculum development and implementation efforts, aimed at introducing middle school youngsters to inquiry projects in ornithology. Her publications have focused on conceptions of teaching, uses of new technologies in education, and teacher development. Currently she is studying teachers' uses of inquiry projects in their classrooms and the processes through which new teachers can be supported to develop into teachers able to implement inquiry teaching.