About Us

 Tamara Shreiner is an Associate Professor in the history department at Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Michigan, and the Executive Director of the Michigan Council for History Education. She previously taught middle school and high school history, mostly in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Tammy's research focuses on disciplinary literacy in history and social studies, especially the teaching and learning of data literacy as it relates to the social studies disciplines. She has publications in Cognition and Instruction, Theory & Research in Social Education. the Journal of Social Studies Research, the British Journal of Educational Technology, the History Teacher, World History Connected, and more. She has also published numerous book chapters and is currently working on a book on data literacy in social studies. When she's not admiring data visualizations, Tammy enjoys spending time outside, skiing, swimming, running, hiking, and biking with her husband, three kids, and two dogs. 

 Bradford Dykes is an Associate Professor at Grand Valley State University and teaches a variety of statistical methodologies courses in the Department of Statistics and the Data Science & Analytics graduate program that use the R programming language. Bradford’s research interests include enhancing learners’ statistical and data literacy, and has collaborated on projects in the Social Sciences, the Digital Humanities, and K-12 teacher development. Outside of work, Bradford enjoys board games, coffee, and hiking with his partner and two Great Danes.

 Lauryn Davis is an undergraduate student at Grand Valley State University studying applied mathematics, statistics, programming, and data visualization in RStudio. Lauryn has been working on this slow reveal graphics project since May 2022 and has enjoyed learning about how to re-create complex historical visualizations and use them to help teachers create lesson plans. In the future, Lauryn hopes to go on to become a software developer or possibly something within the actuarial field. 

 Sydney Meyer is a fourth-year students at Grand Valley State University pursuing a degree in Applied Statistics and a minor in mathematics and will be graduating in April of 2023. After graduation she will continue her educational career at GVSU and will be working on her master’s in applied statistics. Sydney has loved her time she has spent on this project so far with her focus being on the website development. In the future, Sydney hopes to one day be a professor herself. In her free time Sydney enjoys exercising and hanging out with friends and family.

 Robert Bilyk is currently a fourth-year student at Grand Valley State University studying Statistics and working to get a master's in applied statistics. Robert loves using statistics to get the most out of data and using it to help people. Robert hopes to utilize his skills in the future to help organizations improve their operations. Outside of school and work. Robert enjoys playing video games and writing music.

 Carley Dziewicki is a graduate of Grand Valley State University with a master's in data science and analytics. During her time at GVSU she appreciated getting to use classroom knowledge in a practical setting while working on the slow reveal project. After graduation Carley started working for Dematic, a warehouse automation company, as an Analytics Engineer. In her free time, she loves to hike the shores of Michigan!

 Alex Gichuki is a Data Science & Analytics graduate student at Grand Valley State University and a Data Solutions Intern at an international organization in Grand Rapids, MI. Alex is particularly interested in Data Analysis, Data Visualization, and Machine learning. He hopes to work as a Data Scientist to make a positive impact after he graduates from school in April 2023. Outside of work and school, Alex enjoys going on random road trips through country roads and visiting new places.

 Jae Mwangi is a Data Science & Analytics Graduate student at GVSU with a financial mathematics postgraduate diploma from the University of Exeter and a bachelor’s degree in financial engineering. Jae has previous experience in credit analysis, financial analysis, and data analysis positions. Jae’s interests include data exploration and visualization, data analytics processes, machine learning, and AI applications. Working on the slow reveal project was a great learning experience for Jae as they got to harness their web development and problem-solving skills. Jae looks forward to working as a data scientist in a position that makes a positive contribution to society and later pursuing a PhD with a focus on exploring ethical issues surrounding the application of AI tools. When they’re not working, Jae enjoys DJing, nature activities, traveling to new places, and meeting new people.

 Amanda Wilder is a graduate of Grand Valley State University with a group social studies and elementary education bachelor's degree. During her time at GVSU she appreciated learning about the research process of how to find the graphs using the Library of Congress website. She was then able to apply the slow reveal graph process to graphs in the classroom setting during her student practicum. Amanda was also given the opportunity to present at a Math In Action Conference held by GVSU in the Winter of 2022 and displayed her knowledge of how to develop these slow reveal graphs using Google Slides. After graduation Amanda started working for Saugatuck Public Schools as a 5th grade teacher. In her free time, she loves to travel, read, and binge watch shows with her husband and three cats.

 Ellie Zimmermann worked on the data visualization aspect of the slow reveal project during her time at Grand Valley State University. Her experience working with slow reveal graphs allowed her to develop and strengthen her coding skills in R. This project ignited her passion for research, and that passion has carried into her present studies. Ellie is currently pursuing a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering at Michigan Technological University where she is conducting in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) research at the Planetary Surface Technology Development Lab. Once she completes her bachelor’s degree, Ellie intends to continue her involvement in ISRU research while she pursues a PhD in aerospace engineering.