The Team

Committee Co-Chair: Dr. Sarah Haines, PhD 

B.A. Biology, Bucknell UniversityM.S. Zoology, Univ. of GeorgiaPh.D. Zoology, Univ. of GeorgiaM.A. Education, Salisbury State University. Sarah taught seventh grade science in Worcester County for 3 years. She has served as adjunct faculty at several colleges: Univ. of Georgia, Delaware State University, Essex Community College, Eastern Shore Community College, Wesley College, & Salisbury State University.  Sarah has three years experience as a veterinary assistant and is currently an assistant professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, Towson University. She teaches science education courses for elementary education and secondary education majors, and an environmental education course for biology majors. Her research interests focus on using the environment as an integrating context for learning in K-12 education.  Sarah is a certified facilitator for Project Wet, Project Wild, and Project Learning Tree and a volunteer for the DNR program TEAM (Teaching Environmental Awareness in  Maryland).    

Committee Co-Chair: Dr. Juliann Dupuis, PhD 

Dr. Juliann Dupuis is the Dean and  Professor of Science Education at NDMU’s School of Education. She has over 20 years of experience working with and teaching at the elementary, secondary, and university levels and over 15 years in content development and teacher enhancement programs in science education. Currently, she serves as the State Coordinator for Project WET, focusing on water education, as well as a facilitator for Projects WILD and Learning Tree, and as a facilitator of the Engineering is Elementary curriculum from the Boston Museum of Science. Previously, Juliann has been an instructor for the Museum of Science in Boston, Massachusetts, as well as a formal science educator in the middle school classroom, educating hundreds of children.

Committee Member: Bart Merrick

Bart Merrick has been an environmental educator for eighteen years (15 of which have been in Maryland), working with teachers and students from Massachusetts to Virginia, to promote environmental literacy and foster understanding, awareness and respect for the natural world.  He developed an appreciation for the many opportunities to learn and explore offered by Maryland’s diverse environments, especially the Chesapeake Bay, through his work with both Living Classrooms and Chesapeake Bay Foundation.  Upon receiving a Masters in Environmental Science,  Bart went to work for the Maryland Department of Natural Resources as the Education Coordinator for the Chesapeake Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve.  In this position he began to grasp the breadth of scientific work occurring in the Bay and along with many others he began to incorporate more of this work into education programs. Currently, Bart Merrick is the Education Coordinator for NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office's Environmental Science Training Center focusing his energies on integrating the use of environmental science and technology with field-based learning experiences.

Committee Member: Dave Honchalk 

Dave Honchalk retired from Montgomery County Public Schools after 35 years of service and has been involved with outdoor and environmental education for more than 35 years. He holds a BS in elementary science from California University (PA), a master’s in outdoor education from Northern Illinois University, and certification in Administration and Supervision.

While a graduate assistant at Northern University’s Lorado Taft Field Campus, Dave had a unique opportunity to interact with many of the early pioneers in the field of outdoor education. In fact, half of Dave’s professional career was spent as an outdoor education teacher and eventual supervisor at the Lathrop E. Smith Environmental Education Center in Montgomery County, MD.

Dave served as the supervisor of the outdoor education program, one of the largest in the state. Dave served on the Board of the Maryland Association for Environmental and Outdoor Education for a number of years, where he served as executive Board member, president and conference chair. Dave has stayed involved with MAEOE since its inception. He firmly believes that getting kids outside and creating environmentally literate students is one of the most important goals in education and will only increase in importance in the next decade.