Courtney H. Thornton is the Educational Program Coordinator of the Kenan Institute for Engineering, Technology & Science. Ms. Thornton holds a B.A. in Chemistry and a B.S. in Science Education from North Carolina State University. In the summer of 1996 she interned at NASA Langley in the Langley Aerospace Research Summer Scholars Program. She brings work experience from the public and private sectors that includes serving as a high school chemistry teacher and as a technician in an industrial adhesives laboratory. Ms. Thornton is currently pursuing a M.Ed. in Higher Education at North Carolina State University and is a member of the American College Personnel Association. In the position of Education and Public Outreach Coordinator, 20% of Ms. Thornton's focus is dedicated to organizing the public outreach endeavors for the Plant Gravitational Genomics team.

Background

M.Ed. in Higher Education, North Carolina State University (completion in 5/2003)
· Concentration: Student Affairs.

B.A. in Chemistry, North Carolina State University (5/1996)
· Summa Cum Laude

B.S. in Science Education, North Carolina State University (12/1996)
· Concentration: Chemistry
· Summa Cum Laude

Professional Experience

Educational Program Coordinator, North Carolina State University (2/2002 - present)
· Kenan Institute for Engineering, Technology & Science
· Seek and arrange outreach opportunities in the K-12 community, undergraduate and graduate student communities, and general public for NSCORT researchers in the NC State Botany department
· Assist in the coordination of the Kenan Fellowship program for middle and high school teachers in the Triangle area

Technical Assistant, Lord Corporation (8/1997-2/2002)
· Served as team leader for two projects, both leading to commercialization of products
· Created Peer Review system for annual review of workgroup members
· Formulated and tested adhesives for use in industrial and automotive applications
· Wrote Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for workgroup

Chemistry Teacher, Apex High School (1/1997-7/1997)
· Created pertinent and original laboratory experiences for students
· Created classroom environment conducive to learning the concepts of chemistry and physical science
· Assessed student performance

Internships, Student and Summer Experiences

Research Assistant, with Dr. Audrey Jaeger, North Carolina State University (12/2002 - Present)
· Currently conducting extensive library and Internet research on the public service mission of higher education institutions
· Research will be compiled and formatted for use by the NC Center for Public Policy Research

WolfCamp Internship, North Carolina State University (Summer 2002)
· Graduate course requirement: EAC 651 Internship in Student Affairs
· Researched long-term funding options for WolfCamp, a first-year student orientation program

NASA Langley Research Summer Scholar, Hampton, Virginia (Summer 1996)
· Investigated new uses of novel NASA LaRC polyimides with Dr. Robert Bryant
· Collaborated with NASA patent attorney who licensed NASA polyimide technology

Merit Awards Program Student Assistant, North Carolina State University (1994-1996)
· Organized Scholar retreats and scholarship interview weekends

Study Abroad in Oxford, England (Summer 1994)
· Participated in Art History and Shakespeare courses

Research Interests

· College and University Culture
· Undergraduate, Graduate Student and Alumni Involvement
· Public Service at Colleges and Universities

Professional Organizations

· American College Personnel Association
· American Society for Gravitational and Space Biology
Education Committee (2002)
· Association for the Study of Higher Education