The Organization, Information & Learning Sciences (OILS) program announces Dr. Adam Papendieck as its new assistant professor.
Papendieck is a learning scientist whose research examines how learning and change processes unfold in diverse community and organizational settings. His commitment to fostering equitable and just learning environments, and his expertise in learning design, educational change, and STEM education make him a valuable addition to OILS.
Papendieck brings a rich interdisciplinary background, drawing from organizational studies, science and technology studies, and learning sciences. Before joining UNM, he was a Learning Scientist at The University of Texas at Austin’s Jackson School of Geosciences, where he initiated the Learning Sciences CoLab—a collaborative research group that connects social scientists, natural scientists, and communities. He holds a Ph.D. in Curriculum & Instruction - Learning Technologies from The University of Texas at Austin and an MPH in International Health from Tulane University.
“I study not just if people learn, but who learns, how learning happens, and why,” Papendieck explained. "The research I do explores learning not as an isolated phenomenon in individual heads but as a dynamic, interactional process unfolding across groups of people, technologies, and materials, and a process that is inevitably shaped by history, culture, and social context."
He is committed to participatory and action-oriented modes of research that foster both individual growth and collective change, often working in complex environments like communities, neighborhoods, and interdisciplinary research networks.
“I like to mix methods and find new ways to use data and visualization to understand important emerging and everyday learning environments, and how they can be designed for better, more equitable and dignifying experiences and outcomes,” said Papendieck.
Papendieck, in collaboration with the Geological Society of America (GSA), recently received a prestigious $7 million National Science Foundation (NSF) grant to carry out formal design research focused on GSA’s On To the Future (OTF) program. This program, which has long been instrumental in advancing inclusivity within geosciences, focuses on supporting scholars from underrepresented backgrounds.
The research will inform a significant expansion and evolution of OTF, contributing to enhanced mentorship, new participant-designed programming, and crucial support for incoming OTF scholars. Papendieck collaborated with GSA’s Director of Scientific Integrity Elizabeth Long, Professor Julia Clarke at the University of Texas-Austin, Professor Steve Boss at the University of Arkansas, and Consultant Kathy Ellins on the successful grant proposal, with crucial support from GSA leaders, members, and staff.
“This new work with OTF shows what it can look like when professional societies go beyond enforcing traditional disciplinary norms for assimilation and demonstrates what can happen when they collaborate with new members from diverse communities of identity to catalyze fresh, inclusive and humanizing visions of the field and support meaningful action for change,” said Papendieck.
0 Comments.