E. Woo had a unique academic path, from chemistry to the MSU College of Education, and utilized those experiences to connect with students throughout the Department of Teacher Education. Those efforts were recently recognized at this year’s All-University Awards ceremony where Woo was one of six MSU graduate students to earn an Excellence-in-Teaching Citation for their teaching.
Woo’s journey starts with a connection to nature. Woo grew up loving the natural environment throughout California, and held onto that love when pursuing a bachelor’s in biochemistry at Saint Mary’s College of California. Biochemistry fused two loves: the science-minded interest in discovering how things work at the molecular level and the curiosity about the world as it naturally occurs. There, Woo was introduced to environmental justice through community engagement opportunities and found ways to incorporate environmental justice into their science research focused on air pollution and environmental racism.
More degrees were always part of their plan, so it wasn’t unexpected when Woo pursued a master’s in Environment and Sustainability (what was a surprise was relocating from the West Coast to the Midwest, at the University of Michigan). Woo found a network of environmental justice scholars, an affinity for winter and discovered a new passion: learning from and with others. Their master’s thesis took them back to the West Coast, where they got to meet bakers, learn about the science of sourdough breadmaking, and hear about cultural histories. Woo explored how education is more than just textbooks and tests, but also oral histories and community-building (and, yes, the occasional loaf of sourdough) to generate new ideas about what learning should/could look like. An increasing call to education — for helping others understand why science is important and teaching it in a way that resonates with more people — grew in Woo’s mind.
When they were looking for a Ph.D. program, MSU College of Education came to the forefront given the faculty’s diverse interests and research, and the department’s commitment to social justice. MSU faculty and students worked with Woo throughout the application process, humanizing the application process, and cultivating a network of likeminded individuals in East Lansing.
In the Classroom
Woo started in the Curriculum, Instruction and Teacher Education (CITE) doctoral program in 2022. Since then, Woo has been a research assistant and instructor of record for a diverse range of courses, expanding from social studies and science to courses for the Global Educator Cohort Program.
Woo is a “student-centered instructor who pushes students to think about education in expansive and interconnected ways that connect different subject areas,” wrote Assistant Professors Terrance Burgess and Alex(andra) Allweiss in a nomination letter. “One of Woo’s notable contributions is [how they have] found creative ways to fuse science, social studies and justice to engage elementary [education] students in meaningful and authentic learning experiences.”
While this can be exemplified through curricular contributions — creating projects on community-specific water quality issues or teaching about air quality to explore how to teach the science and the social ramifications of changes (or lack thereof) — it is perhaps best seen through students' eyes.
One student described feeling “unsure of [their] place in the [educational] field midway through the Teacher Preparation Program.
“Then, I ... met my saving grace,” the letter reads. “Woo transformed my perspective from the very first day [of class]. Their classroom was a breath of fresh air; a safe, supportive and intellectually challenging space where difficult conversations were not avoided but embraced. ... Woo radiates the kind of light and purpose that our world — and our future educators, need the most.”
In the Community
Woo supports the community in a variety of ways, including serving as a mentor for fellow CITE program students, engaging with undergraduate students in the Future Teachers of Color & Queer Educators of MSU student organizations and through creating an online space for college instructors share materials, ideas and questions of practice.
“I have always been struck by [their] quiet leadership style that strikes an effective balance between affability, relationality and care,” wrote Department of Educational Administration Assistant Professor Justin Gutzwa. The sentiment is echoed by fellow CITE student Angie Valbuena Rojas:
“Their mentorship embodies an ethic of solidarity — grounded in compassion, generosity and a genuine desire to see others succeed. These ongoing contributions ... strengthen the culture of inclusivity and collaboration in the College of Education.”
This ethos builds on Woo’s determination to humanize and personalize education to show up for students rather than just lecture to them. Woo strives to “make schooling a safe space” and “meet the various needs of [their] students in regard to where they are and what is taking up space in their heart, brain and body,” Woo wrote in their teaching philosophy.
Their dissertation (which broadly “explores representations of science identity in museum spaces”) is being supported through the MSU Center for Gender in Global Context’s Gender, Justice, and Environmental Change (GJEC) Dissertation Fellowship. Burgess and Allweiss wrote that this research “has the potential to shift how we view, talk and think about science.”
Where Woo goes from here remains in the works; they anticipate defending their dissertation and completing their degree by Spring 2027. But what is known is that Woo is ready to transform the world around them.
From a unique path to MSU, to creating new paths forward: Spartans Will.