Director

Center Director

Michelle Norgren

Michelle comes to VESTA from Missouri State University where she served in a variety of capacities for the past 10 years, including 6 years as the assistant director of the Center for Scientific Research & Education. Her duties included overseeing K-12 educational outreach programs for the College of Natural & Applied Sciences. Michelle coordinated and directed a variety of academic competitions including the Region 7 Missouri Science Olympiad, the District VIII Missouri Junior Academy of Sciences, and the Ozarks Science & Engineering Fair, and serving as the state director of the Missouri Junior Academy of Sciences. In addition to these various programs, Michelle is actively involved with the promotion of student research on the national and International level, serving as the president of the International Science & Engineering Fair (ISEF) Advisory Council and continues to serve as a member of the ISEF Best Practices Committee.

Michelle is no stranger to distance education, having served as a pioneer for Missouri State University in K-12 on-line learning through her development of the first on-line physics course taught to southwest Missouri area high schools in what would develop into the Missouri Virtual School. Until her appointment with VESTA in 2004, Michelle continued to teach both chemistry and physics on-line through the Missouri Virtual School to students in rural Missouri utilizing a variety of distance education technologies and served as the director of the Missouri Distance Learning Association.

Michelle graduated from Missouri State University with a BS in Education and lifetime teaching certifications in Biology, Chemistry, Physics and General Science for grades 7-12 and a Master of Science degree in Educational Administration.