Dr. Lori Kayes received her master’s in Environmental Education (2002) from Southern Oregon University and doctorate in Forest Ecology (2009) from Oregon State University. Dr. Kayes is the coordinator for the BI21x (Principles in Biology) series at Oregon State University, which has over 1200 students per term. Dr. Kayes’s STEM research is largely focused on this course and its challenges, examining the effectiveness of implementation of evidence-based teaching practices in large lecture classes. Specifically, Dr. Kayes has been assessing the effectiveness of implementing inquiry-based and issues-based curriculum into lower-division biology laboratories with interest in student engagement and motivation. Recently, Dr. Kayes received an NSF – Research Coordination Network in Undergraduate Biology Education grant to work towards the implementation and integration of the AAAS Vision and Change in Undergraduate Biology Education across a board spectrum of institution types in the Pacific Northwest.