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After transferring college majors from lab scientist to science educator and graduating from Boise State University with a B.S. in Biology, Secondary Education, Melyssa has spent the last 23 years of her career dedicated to providing hands-on and enriching science and engineering experiences for students in the Caldwell School District. Her passion is encouraging young women and minorities to become more involved in the pursuit of STEM careers. She has earned an M.S. in Middle Level Education and a PhD in Learning, Instruction, and Innovation with an emphasis in STEM from Walden University and has focused her STEM education pursuits on teaching 7th grade life and 8th grade earth science at Syringa Middle School. Melyssa is the coordinator for the Science and Math Bowl competition team and the summer MASSI program at the College of Idaho as well as leading the Habitat H2O Florida trip and the Expedition Yellowstone and Explore Oregon experiences. She facilitates several teams for the Future City engineering competition as part of her advanced science curriculum. Melyssa is the STEM coordinator for Caldwell as well as working as the digital integration and innovation specialist for the district. She serves on the board of the Idaho Education Association, is the president of the Idaho Science Teaching Association, and works with the VOYA STEM fellowship to encourage STEM education at the national level.