About

My name is Marcy Bragdon, and I've been a proud member of the Spartan family since graduating from the University of South Alabama in 2020.  Competitive in a non-traditional sense, I take "setting the Spartan-standard" seriously!  I completed my National STEM certification in 2022, and after being awarded the Alabama NBCT Scholarship last May, I've embarked on the journey of becoming a National Board Certified Teacher.  During the summers, I return to USA to participate in collaborative research between the College of Education, the College of Engineering, and the College of Medicine.  Drawing on my experiences in interdisciplinary investigations focused on using biologically-inspired computing applications for improved cancer detection, I've helped develop an AI and computer-science-infused biology curriculum.  Not only are we seeking to better prepare students for STEM careers, we're seeking to improve science instructional methods.  This year, I'll be examining the impact of culturally-relevent, contextual learning on both student understanding of and attitudes about STEM topics.  You can see some results from prior research in the poster linked below.  I shared this data at the 2023 Society of Engineering Education RET Conference in July, 2023:

2023 ASEE Poster Presentation

In past years, honors biology students became certified Bacteriological Water Monitors through my collaboration with the Alabama Water Watch, or AWW..  Not only did students complete research and stewardship projects, they served as citizen-scientists, contributing data to a public database used by state agencies to help make informed decisions about protecting and maintaining this critical natural resource.  This year, I'm expanding our initiative, offering any student interested in becoming a certified water monitor a chance to participate through S.P.A.R.K. - SHS's new STEM Pre-Professional Activities & Research Klub!  You can check out our campus water monitoring data using the link below:

SHS Water Data

As always, I look forward to sharing my experiences in each of these programs with students this year!  

Outside the classroom, I love spending time with my family.  My husband and I are blessed with three daughters (5, 11, and 13) and a son (born in 2022).  We love beaches, biking, libraries, museums, and playgrounds!

You can learn more about my early career adventures through the slide show linked below:

All About Mrs. (Maulucci) Bragdon - A Prezi