Christie Byers, an educator and researcher, teaches child development, education foundations, and science methods at George Mason University’s Elementary Education program. She served as an elementary and middle school teacher in PK-8 classrooms for twenty years, specializing in inquiry-based science education. Christie then moved to the non-profit sphere, serving as an educator and new teacher mentor at the Center for Inspired Teaching for several years. During that time, she assisted in the founding of their DC based charter school, the award-winning Inspired Teaching Demonstration School. Christie holds a transdisciplinary PhD in science education, emphasizing equity and social justice in science education. As an advocate for diverse pedagogies, she’s actively involved in researching wonder and innovative research methods.