The TH!NK Team

Sue Carson, PhD
Director of TH!NK (Quality Enhancement Plan)
Interim Executive Director of Academic Enrichment Programs
Professor of Plant and Microbial Biology
Sue Carson graduated from Rutgers University (New Brunswick, NJ) with a B.S. in Biotechnology, and from the University of North Carolina (Chapel Hill, NC) with a Ph.D. in Microbiology. Her area of scientific expertise is in molecular mechanisms of bacterial pathogenesis. Prior to leading the QEP, Dr. Carson spent over ten years leading curriculum development for the NC State Biotechnology Program as its Academic Coordinator. Her scholarly work over the last ten years has focused on college-level biology education. She has received multiple awards for teaching excellence and innovation and is a member of the Howard Hughes Science Education Alliance, promoting and implementing inquiry-guided learning and authentic research in the undergraduate classroom laboratory. She co-authored two molecular biology lab manuals, and has published numerous peer-reviewed papers in the area of course and curriculum development. She has mentored over 100 undergraduate students in research projects and is the PI and Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded Integrative Molecular Plant Systems Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Program. She serves on the Leadership Council of the National Science Foundation BIO REU, and has served on the Board of Directors of the Wake County Beekeeping Association.

Anne Auten
TH!NK Faculty Fellow
Lecturer of English
Anne Auten graduated as a valedictorian and summa cum laude from North Carolina State University in 2006 with a B.A. in English Language and Literature and a minor in French. She continued her graduate studies at NC State and received her M.A. in 2009, with additional graduate work completed at UNC-Chapel Hill. Since 2010, she has taught a range of first-year writing and literature courses at both NC State and Elon University, in addition to teaching courses for the First Year Inquiry (FYI) and Summer START programs. She has served on the First-Year Writing Council, and has helped facilitate the North Carolina Symposium on Teaching Writing for the past three years. Her dedication to professional development is further manifested in the creation and implementation of workshops for both the First-Year Writing Program and the Office of Faculty Development. Her current research project is focused on NC State’s STEM and Writing Annual Partnership (SWAP), which supplements the goals of Writing in the Disciplines (WID) pedagogy. Most recently, she was selected as the College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHASS) Outstanding Lecturer for 2014-15.
Lisa Parks
TH!NK Faculty Fellow
Teaching Associate Professor, Department of Biological Sciences

Lisa Parks graduated from Duke University with a B.S. in Zoology and from Georgia State University with a Ph.D. in Cell Physiology and Biochemistry. Her research focused on the transport of amino acids, small peptides, and toxicants in renal epithelial tissue. Dr. Parks began working at NC State in 1999 teaching Introductory Biology. Since then, she has continued to teach courses in human physiology, cell physiology, cancer biology, and biotechnology. She has been actively involved in bringing technology to the classroom and new opportunities for students to be engaged in the learning process – incorporating case studies into the classroom for several years and involving honors students in the development process. She often mentors undergraduates in year-long teaching and research projects and offers additional inquiry-based seminars in addition to her regular teaching load. Dr. Parks is the recipient of the Outstanding Teaching Award and the Alumni Distinguished Undergraduate Professor Award. She is the Director of the Biological Sciences Honors Program, the Director of the Biological Sciences and Human Biology concentrations, and is a National Academy of Science Education Mentor. She is currently working on an HHMI grant to develop additional research space and curriculum for undergraduates – focusing on transfer students in order to increase their opportunity to form learning communities.
 
Sara Glee Queen
TH!NK Faculty Fellow
Associate Professor of Architecture
Sara Queen is an Assistant Professor at the School of Architecture and Coordinator of the First Year Experience Programs at the College of Design. She teaches a range of undergraduate and graduate studios as well as advanced graduate research seminars. Sara received her Bachelors of Environmental Design in Architecture from North Carolina State University and earned her Masters in Architecture, with distinction, from the Graduate School of Design at Harvard University. In addition to the scholarship of teaching, Sara’s ongoing research investigates infrastructural networks through mapping methodologies with the goal of facilitating deeper, more diverse understandings of urban systems and the processes which shape physical place, cultural space and social territory. Sara has presented at numerous national and international conferences including the Architectural Research Centers Consortium and European Association for Architectural Education International Conference, the National Conference on the Beginning Design Student, the Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture National Conference, and the East Midlands History and Philosophy Research Network International Conference. Sara’s teaching excellence was recently recognized through the national ACSA / AIAS New Faculty Teaching Award in spring of 2014.
Tania Allen
Assistant Professor of Art + Design, Design Studies
Tania is an Assistant Professor of Art + Design and Co-Director of the Graduate Program in Art + Design. She has a BA in History from Washington University in St. Louis and an Master of Graphic Design from North Carolina State University. Within the Department of Art + Design, Tania has developed numerous courses focused on the integration of writing and visualization as reciprocal tools to engage students in critically reflective processes. She is the Faculty Advisor for The Student Publication, one of the oldest student-led design research journals in the country. Tania’s research focuses on mapping and visualization as critical research tools. With Sara Queen, she is Co-Director of Co/Lab, a “research tank” that uses mapping methodologies to examine how urban development shapes the social and cultural fabric of evolving cities.
 
Yvette Thompson
Administrative Support Specialist