STEM Writing Initiative Activity Lead

Photo of Dan Lenz

Daniel Lenz

B.S. Environmental Studies, University of California, Santa Barbara
M.S. Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation, California State University Sacramento

Daniel Lenz joined CSU Channel Islands as the Activity Lead for the STEM Writing Initiative in May of 2022. Mr. Lenz was also a lecturer in the Environmental Studies and Resource Management department at CSUCI. Now he is a full-time lecturer and Assistant Director in the Writing & Multiliteracy Center. During his graduate career, his research focused on how plants communicate with each other through shared fungal networks. He has professional experience with non-profit land conservation and biological consulting where he has authored numerous technical reports. Mr. Lenz is convinced that the cornerstone to success, whether as an academic or professional, is being an effective communicator.

As the Activity Lead for the STEM Writing Initiative, Mr. Lenz looks forward to working with students to enhance their ability to communicate through various mediums and to diverse audiences. He is also excited to collaborate with faculty to promote clear, compelling, and confident scientific communication in CSUCI students. Our scientific understanding of the world is continually improving, and Mr. Lenz strongly believes that the value of new scientific discoveries and ideas is inseparable from our ability to communicate.

About WMC's STEM Initiative

WMC's STEM Initiative is funded by the U.S. Department of Education's five-year HSI Grant and part of CI's Project AYUDAS. The initiative aims to strengthen STEM student success pipeline and transform STEM pathways for retention and success, particularly for Latinx and Low-Income Students.

First-Year Composition Embedded Tutoring Initiative Leads

Emily Spitler-Lawson, EMT Faculty Development Lead

M.A. English, Chapman University
M.F.A. Creative Writing, Chaptman University
B.A. English and Creative Writing, Pepperdine University

Emily Spitler-Lawson has been teaching first-year composition since 2006 and joined the First-Year Writing program at CSU Channel Islands in 2016. Emily has been working with Embedded Multiliteracy Tutors since her first semester at CI. Over the course of the exclusively online Fall 2020 and Spring 2021 semesters, she explored new ways to incorporate EMTs in online asynchronous classes, and in the Spring of 2022, she was selected as a FYC-EMT Faculty Fellow with the goal of creating resources for faculty to help them effectively use EMTs in their courses in all modalities. As the FYC-EMT Faculty Development Lead, she is looking forward to being an ambassador for the WMC and collaborating with FYC faculty as they use EMTs and other WMC services in the ever-evolving context in which they teach.

See Emily Spitler-Lawson's "Developing Fruitful Research Questions" in Writing Spaces's Assignments & Activities Archive. 

Koa Johnson, Multiliteracy Professional and Student Outreach Lead

koa johnson

B.A. English and Psychology minor,
California State University Channel Islands
Summa Cum Laude

Koa Johnson joined the Writing and Multiliteracy Center while he was a student at CSUCI in January 2021 as a peer consultant but continued to stay with the WMC beyond graduation; advancing to a special consultant, and now he holds his position in the WMC as the Multiliteracy Professional and Student Outreach Lead.

During his undergraduate career Koa had a passion for storytelling, in both fiction and academic writing, and he still seeks to help weave academic and professional stories in the WMC as both a tutor and a mentor. As a Multiliteracy Professional and Student Outreach Lead, Koa continues to tutor both undergraduate and graduate students, offers professional support and mentorship to tutors, while also managing student outreach. Koa is excited to continue to serve the CSUCI student population in the best way he can as an ambassador to the tutors and students.

Sarah Rundle, Multiliteracy Professional and Tutor Education Lead

sarahrundle

B.A. English and Philosophy minor,
University of California, Los Angeles

Sarah Rundle joined CSUCI's Writing and Multiliteracy Center as a Multiliteracy Professional and Tutor Education Lead in November 2022. While earning her bachelor's degree, Sarah worked at UCLA's Undergraduate Writing Center from 2019-2021 where she gained experience tutoring a diverse community of students across multiple disciplines. Upon graduating, Sarah taught conversational English at a bilingual primary school in Hungary for a year before returning to the U.S. and joining the CI family.

Through her tutoring and teaching experiences, Sarah has gained a passion for helping students find their voice and employ it in their argumentation style. As a Multiliteracy Professional and Tutor Education Lead, Sarah tutors undergraduate and graduate students, provides EMT support to students and faculty, and helps mentor fellow tutors. Sarah looks forward to working closely alongside her colleagues to best serve CSUCI's students.

About WMC's Embedded Tutoring Initiative

The WMC's Embedded Tutoring Initiative for First Year Writers is supported by the generous gift provided by Jeff Green's Data Philanthropy to increase retention and graduation rates through expanded and enhanced peer to peer support with a focus on embedded peer education for first year, gateway, and historically challenged courses.

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