Christina Schwarz (Ph.D. 1998, U.C. Berkeley) is a professor of science education in the Teacher Education department at Michigan State University. She teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in science education, teacher education, science, and research methodology and was the elementary science subject area leader for MSU’s teacher preparation program for eleven years. Schwarz holds degrees in science, math, and technology education from the University of California at Berkeley (PhD and MA) and in earth, atmospheric and planetary science from MIT (BS). Her background includes conducting research in astronomy, designing curriculum materials for science learners and teachers, and working in classrooms with students and teachers. Schwarz’s research primarily focuses on enabling students and teachers (PK-16) to understand and engage in scientific practices – particularly model-based scientific inquiry. She also works with beginning teachers to support and enhance their practices such as noticing and responding to scientific sense-making. She is a Co-Principle investigator for two NSF projects including CT4EDU and Studying Students’ Mechanistic Explanations. Previously, she was the principal investigator for NSF grant Studying How Beginning Elementary Teachers Notice and Respond to Scientific Sense-making. She has also been a co-principle investigator for NSF-funded projects including: Supporting Scientific Practices in Elementary and Middle School Classrooms, Learning Progression for Scientific Modeling, Head Start on Science, and Modeling Hydrological Systems in Elementary Science project. Schwarz received the MSU College of Education Excellence and Innovation in Teaching Award in 2005, has been an associate editor for the Journal of Research in Science Teaching, and has published articles in journals such as Cognition & Instruction, Science Education, the Journal of Research in Science Teaching, the Journal for Science Teacher Education, and Science & Children. Her co-edited book entitled Helping Students Make Sense of the World Using Next Generation Science and Engineering Practices was published in 2017 by NSTA press. She also served as a faculty mentor for the 2017 NARST Abell Institute in Taiwan.