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Rabun Gap welcomes Dr. Renken to the Upper School science department

Dr. Maggie Renken has joined the Upper School faculty and will be teaching science.
Dr. Maggie Renken is Rabun Gap's newest addition to the Upper School science department.
 
Dr. Renken is an award-winning educator with a background in teaching at the college level, working with K-12 STEM curriculum and professional development, and leading a nonprofit. She comes to Rabun Gap after serving as a tenured professor at Georgia State University, where she taught undergraduate and graduate courses, led research experiences, and oversaw masters' and doctoral students' theses. In her work at GSU, she also conducted and published research on how people learn STEM content and think scientifically, with particular emphasis on broadening participation to groups typically underrepresented in STEM, including women and racial and ethnic minorities. 
 
Dr. Renken has received awards including a Paul Pintrich Dissertation award from the American Psychological Association, an Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching Award from the GSU College of Education and Human Development, and a Teaching Fellowship from the GSU Center for Excellence and Teaching. She served as a Principal Investigator on a National Science Foundation-funded project developing and delivering after school computing curriculum for students in 10 Atlanta Public Schools middle schools and  Co-authored a book for an Association of Educational Communications and Technology special series, titled "Simulations as Scaffolds in Science Education" with colleagues from Denmark, France, and Italy.
 
Prior to her work in the collegiate world, Dr. Renken served on a National Science Foundation- and National Institutes of Health Science Education Partnership Award-funded team, leading K-12 STEM outreach and teacher professional development in Wyoming.
 
Dr. Renken earned a Doctorate in Developmental Psychology and a Masters in Experimental Psychology, both from the University of Wyoming. She graduated with honors from Clemson University with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology. 
 
A native of Virginia, Dr. Renken now lives in Dillard with her husband Sam and their three children -  Zuri '25, Ella '28, and Indy '33.  Outside of her academic work, she enjoys gardening, reading, and being outdoors with her family. 
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Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School is a private, coeducational day and boarding school for grades Pre-K through 12. Centrally located between Atlanta, GA, Greenville, SC, and Asheville, NC, we prepare young people for college, career, and a lifetime of leadership and service.