Our Team
Jose Blackorby
Jose Blackorby is a researcher and developer at WestEd. Jose is the PI on Project FRACTAL. He loves to design ways to spark insight and excitement in learning for learners of all ages. He has been fortunate to work with passionate educators around the country to implement Universal Design for Learning and innovative technologies. FRACTAL is the exciting next chapter in this journey. He began his career as a taxi driver in New York City. He has run approximately half as many half marathons as Lauren Wong.
Principal Investigator
Joseph Wiggins
Joseph Wiggins is the Research Director and Co-founder of Katabasis. He has a decade of experience tutoring students in STEM, and building educational technologies to enhance learning. He is a Co-PI on the FRACTAL project, bringing expertise in computer science and AI education for K12. He is passionate about Project FRACTAL because it shows students how interconnected CS and AI are to Art and Design, and will hopefully inspire a new generation of rural students that look at the world's problems like an artist. His favorite artist is Alphonse Mucha, an artist that challenged conventions around who should be able to access and enjoy art.
Co-Principal Investigator
Sarah Emily Wilson
Sarah Emily Wilson is a researcher and methodologist at WestEd. She has over a decade of supporting students with disabilities in the classroom as well as their teachers. She is the project lead on Project FRACTAL and supports the development of Expeditions and teacher professional learning materials. Supporting technology access in rural communities is near and dear to her heart as she grew up in one in Florida. Outside of work, she loves hiking, cooking, and going on adventures with her two beagles.
Project Manager
Bill Causey
Bill Causey the President and Co-founder of Katabasis and is serving as the project manager for the Katabasis team on project FRACTAL. He has over five years of experience organizing and conducting field evaluations and usability tests for a variety of products as well as years of experience tutoring students and volunteering in classrooms. He is passionate about this project because of the novel way it fuses technology and art topic areas into a single curriculum and he is excited to be doing this work with rural NC counties to be able to give back to the communities that were so impactful on who he became. One of Bill’s favorite styles of art is collages. He loves to compose new pieces from a wide range of materials and images in ways that people might not expect.
Project Manager
Nick Gage
Nick Gage is a senior researcher at WestEd and is on the content development team for Project FRACTAL. He is passionate about advancing rigorous research and evaluation in the special education field to serve learners with disabilities and their teachers. In particular, he focuses on systems in schools to support students’ behavior, mental health and wellbeing, and social connectedness. In Project FRACTAL, Nick is passionate about the cutting-edge technologies embedded within FRACTAL and their potential for sparking student learning. Further, having grown up in rural Minnesota, Nick is committed to bringing high quality education and innovation to rural schools and spaces. Outside of Project FRACTAL, Nick enjoys hanging out with his four daughters and running advanced statistical models.
Content Team
Lauren Wong
Lauren Wong is a Research Associate at WestEd. She is a former general and special education teacher and has taught second, third, and fourth grades. On Project FRACTAL, she will support the development of the Expeditions and ensure the needs and variabilities of students with disabilities are supported. She is excited about the innovation in Project FRACTAL and looking forward to integrating art and computer science in engaging and creative ways. In her free time, Lauren likes to hike and has run 38 half marathons.
Content Team
Jorge Parra
Jorge Parra has his bachelor's degree in Computer Science from NC State University and joined Katabasis straight out of college, where he has helped the organization spearhead multiple game-based learning projects, as well as multiple successful grants. He has a strong passion for gamification and game-based learning environments and integrating them into students' best interests.
Senior Software Engineer
Alex Cail
Alex Cail is a Junior Software Engineer at Katabasis. She is inspired by the impact phenomenal teachers had on her learning and growth throughout her academic career and brings some instructional experience from tutoring peers in German in high school. As a member of the development team, she is responsible for the technical design and implementation of the FRACTAL Expeditions and platform. As a professional software engineer and digital art hobbyist, she is excited by the many connections between art and computer science and the doors this interdisciplinary program can open for students. On the weekends, Alex enjoys trying out new recipes in the kitchen (sometimes, to varying levels of success).
Junior Software Engineer
Ben Taylor is a Junior Software Engineer at Katabasis. His formative experiences with caring teachers and engaging educational technology was critical throughout his academic career. As a part of the FRACTAL development team, he is responsible for the technical design and implementation of the FRACTAL platform and expeditions. As a digital artist, he is excited to share tools for others to use to create works of art, especially when those tools also engage younger students with the disciplines he uses on a daily basis. Ben’s hobbies include playing disc golf, video games, and the guitar.
Junior Software Engineer
Ben Taylor
Tracy Ulrich is a Research Associate at WestEd. She began her career as an inclusive elementary school teacher and loved teaching kindergarten best. From there she made her way into higher education focusing on research in best practices for early mathematics and Special Education teacher preparation. Her work then moved into research project coordination and collaboration across a variety of disciplines. Through her research, coordinating, teaching, and personal endeavors Tracy strives to improve educational outcomes for students with disabilities and those from higher risk backgrounds. As such, she loves that Fractal is centering teacher and student voice in the creation of culturally responsive STEAM education. Outside of Tracy’s work, she devotes time to her family and is a foster parent.
Project Support
Tracy Ulrich
Andrew Jaciw is the Chief Scientist at Empirical Education and co-PI and Director of Design and Analysis for the external evaluation team on Project FRACTAL. Previously, he taught third grade as part of class size reduction initiative. In addition to a PhD in research methods, he has an MS in epidemiology and has a developing interest in student socioemotional health outcomes and wellbeing. He is excited about Project FRACTAL as the project is leading-edge in many ways, including in its applications of computer-construction and AI uses in art classes. It also puts the program evaluation in novel territory, with the need for new and valid measures of student experiences and outcomes at the core of STEAM. Outside of work, he is interested in writing a book on the influence of Ska on British Punk Rock.
Andrew Jaciw
Director of Design and Analysis
Adam Schellinger is a Senior Research Analyst at Empirical Education and is the Research Manager for the external evaluation team on Project FRACTAL. During his career, he has designed and taught WASC-approved courses in Algebra, Geometry, Algebra II, Trigonometry, Pre-Calculus, Chemistry, and Physics in a one-on-one setting for at-risk students. He is excited about tracing the impact of new FRACTAL experiences for students on attitudes towards STEAM. In his free time, Adam enjoys rock climbing and perfecting new breakfast sandwiches.