Biography and CV

Dr. Crystal Uminski is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at Towson University. Dr. Uminski is a discipline-based education researcher whose work investigates how instructors assess scientific practices and how students think about visual models.  She graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Biology Secondary Education from Elizabethtown College in 2016 and received a Ph.D. in Biology from the University of Nebraska – Lincoln, where she worked with Dr. Brian Couch to study assessments in introductory biology courses. Her postdoctoral research with Dr. Dina Newman and Dr. L. Kate Wright at Rochester Institute of Technology centered on visual literacy in molecular biology.  Dr. Uminski’s interest in biology education research stemmed from her experiences teaching high school biology and developing national standardized science assessments. In her free time, she enjoys watching movies and doting on her cats, Delilah and Turnip.