Tess Killpack


Professional Details

Title Associate Professor
Department Biology
Office Meier Hall 247
Phone 978.542.3085
Email tess.killpack@salemstate.edu
Photo of Tess Killpack

Recent and Upcoming Courses

BIO 100 Launch Into Stem: Building Skills, Community, and Careers
BIO 131 Introduction to Organisms
BIO 416 Biology Internship
BIO 419 Portfolio Seminar
BIO 461 Introduction to Dna Barcoding
BIO 761 Dna Barcoding and Application
BIO 875 Directed Study
EDC 779 Methods of Teaching Secondary Science II
FYBI 100 First Year Seminar (biology)

Professional Interests

Skill-building in Introductory Biology, Active and Inclusive Pedagogy, Faculty Professional Development for Inclusive Pedagogy

Responsibilities

Biology Professor, Lead Faculty for Biology Secondary Education, Biological Systems (BIO105) Course Coordinator

Selected Publications

Killpack TL, CL Sandoval, BM Dewsbury. The Role of Faculty in Cultivating Thriving Campus STEM Ecosystems. CBE Life Sciences Education. https://doi.org/10.1187/cbe.24-02-0041 [Contribution to Special Issue on “Equity, Inclusion, Access, and Justice in Biology Education”]

Levi Blumer, SK, Dewsbury B, Haswell M., Killpack T, Urry L. 2024. Learning Communities as a Driver for Humanizing STEM: Cultivating Authentic Conversations about Anti-Racism in Introductory Biology Pedagogy using Duoethnography. Pathways for Accelerating Change in Social Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in STEM Curricula, (Version 2.0). QUBES Educational Resources. doi:10.25334/RRQT-Q743

Killpack TL & TR Popolizio. 2023. An Equity-Focused Redesign of an Introductory Organismal Biology Lab Course to Develop Foundational Scientific Practices. Journal of Microbiology and Biology Education, 24(1). https://doi.org/10.1128/jmbe.00213-22. [Contribution to Special Series on “Scientific Literacy”]

Popolozio TR, Killpack TL. 2021. A Remote-Learning Framework for Student Research Projects: Using Datasets to Teach Experimental Design, Data Analysis and Science Communication.CourseSource. https://doi.org/10.24918/cs.2021.27

Killpack TL, SM Fulmer, et al. 2020. Increased Scaffolding and Inquiry in an Introductory Biology Lab Enhance Experimental Design Skills and Sense of Scientific Ability. Journal of Microbiology and Biology Education, 21(2): 21.2.56. doi: 10.1128/jmbe.v21i2.2143.

Killpack, TL and LC Melón. 2020. First-Day Info Sheets: A Tool to Prompt Semester-Long Inclusive Teaching. Journal of Microbiology and Biology Education. 21(1):21.1.14. DOI: 10.1128/jmbe.v21i1.1983. [Contribution to special Issue on “Inclusive Education”]

Killpack TL & Fulmer, SM. 2018. Development of a Tool to Assess Interrelated Experimental Design in Introductory Biology. Journal of Microbiology and Biology Education. vol. 19 no. 3. doi:10.1128/jmbe.v19i3.1627.

Killpack, TL and Melón LC. 2017. “Towards inclusive STEM classrooms: What personal role do faculty play?” CBE Life Sciences Education, vol. 15 no. 3 es3. doi: 10.1187/cbe.16-01-0020.

Selected Presentations

RECENT REFEREED CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS

Killpack, TL., Sandoval, CL., Dewsbury, B. May 2025. Profiles of faculty equity mindset shift following the Deep Teaching Residency. Society for the Advancement of Biology Education Research (SABER) annual meeting. Rochester, NY. Poster.

Dewsbury B., Sandoval C., Killpack T. November 2024. The Impact of Inclusive Faculty Development on Faculty Teaching Mindsets. Annual Professional and Organizational Development (POD) in Higher Education Network Conference. Chicago, IL. Oral Presentation.

Dewsbury B., Killpack T., Sandoval C. November 2024. Shifting mindsets - Faculty transforming their pedagogical approaches after the Deep Teaching Residency. AAC&U/PKAL Transforming STEM Higher Education Conference. Arlington, VA. Oral Presentation.

Killpack, TL., Sandoval, CL., Dewsbury, B. July 2024. Examining faculty mindset change toward equity following the Deep Teaching Residency Program. Society for the Advancement of Biology Education Research (SABER) annual meeting. Minneapolis, MN. Poster.

Urry, L., Blumer, S., Haswell, M., Killpack, T., Dewsbury, B. July 2024. Infusing anti-racist and equity-focused practices in the Introductory Biology Classroom: A Curriculum Overlay model. Society for the Advancement of Biology Education Research (SABER) annual meeting. Minneapolis, MN. Poster.

Haswell, M., Urry, L., Killpack, T., Dewsbury, B., Blumer, S. June 2024. Infusing Anti-Racist and Equity-Focused Practices in the Introductory Biology Classroom: A Curriculum Overlay Model. Inclusive Environments and Metrics in Biology Education and Research (iEMBER) Conference. Orangeburg, SC. Oral Presentation.

Killpack, TL. January 2024. Two-Stage Exams to Enhance Engagement and Learning in Introductory Biology. MA PKAL Winter Meeting. Hosted virtually by Salem State University. Oral Presentation.

Addy, T., Sandoval, C.S., Killpack, T., Rudenga, K., Leary, A. November 2023. Intensive Programs for Inclusive Teaching: Three Models. 49th Annual POD Network Conference. Pittsburgh, PA. Interactive Session.

Killpack T, Sandoval C, Dewsbury B. June 2023. Deep Teaching Residency: A faculty development community for inclusive practices. ASCN/APLU Transforming Institutions Conference. Oral presentation.

Haswell M, Killpack T, Dewsbury B, Urry L, Blumer S. March 2023. Curriculum Intervention for Anti-Racism in Biology. 3rd Annual National Association of Biology Teachers Inclusive Teaching Symposium. Virtual oral presentation.

Dewsbury BM & TL Killpack. July 2022. Deep Teaching Residency. 2022 ASM Conference for Undergraduate Educators (ASMCUE). Virtual oral presentation.

Killpack, TL & T. Popolizio. July 2021. Course Redesign to Scaffold Research Skill-building in Introductory Biology Labs. Society for the Advancement of Biology Education Research (SABER) annual meeting. Virtual Poster.

Killpack, TL & T. Popolizio. January 2021. Online research projects: Using datasets to teach experimental design, data analysis and science communication. MA PKAL Winter Meeting. Hosted virtually by Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA. Oral Presentation.