Rate My Professor Brenda Brand

Brenda Brand is a professor of science education in the School of Education at Virginia Tech, where she serves as the Program Leader for both the Science Education program and STEM Education. Located in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences, her office is at 1750 Kraft Drive, Room 2035, Blacksburg, VA. She is recognized as a faculty expert in Curriculum and Instruction and Science Education. Brand earned her master's degree and Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction with a specialization in science education from Virginia Tech. Prior to her appointment at Virginia Tech, she held the position of science supervisor for Montgomery County Public Schools. In this role, she co-developed a year-long robotics program, including course description and syllabus for participation in the FIRST robotics competition. She also collaborated with colleagues on studies examining factors influencing girls' participation in robotics engineering.

Brand's scholarly work centers on sociocultural influences on science teaching and learning, teacher professional development, and promoting diversity and equity in STEM fields. She is the principal investigator for the National Science Foundation-funded HBCU Instructors Bridge to Academia Project (HIBridge), which received $1.9 million in 2021. This project, part of NSF's Alliances for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (AGEP), establishes the Bridge to Academia Fellowship Program for doctoral candidates who are instructors at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and the Bridge to Academia Faculty Mentoring Program to support faculty in mentoring these candidates. Additionally, Brand served as PI for the NSF DRK-12 project "Actualizing STEM Potential in the Mississippi Delta" (award number 1511792), spanning 2015 to 2022, which implemented STEM initiatives in underserved areas. As an affiliate faculty member in the Department of Engineering Education, she contributes to interdisciplinary collaborations. Brand participates in professional development workshops, conducts science demonstrations at STEM fairs, and fosters partnerships, such as the pathway program with Shaw University for HBCU students entering Virginia Tech's graduate teaching programs. Her efforts support Virginia Tech's initiatives in teacher preparation and have contributed to recognitions like the Physics Teacher Education Coalition award.