Delaney Worthington

Delaney Worthington is a PhD student in the Kelp Lab at Colorado State University. Her research centers on Discipline-Based Education Research (DBER), where she investigates the effects of training undergraduate STEM students in inclusive science communication (ISC) practices. Currently, Delaney is examining how a semester-long ISC mentorship program will influence the experiences of underrepresented undergraduate students in STEM. In addition, she is developing, implementing, and evaluating the impacts of a curriculum for an upper-division undergraduate virology course that addresses ISC and scientific uncertainty. Delaney also is exploring how a Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE) study abroad program in Colombia might enhance undergraduate students' ISC skills.

As an undergraduate and master's student, Delaney worked in the Ebel Lab at CSU. Her research focused on testing the fidelity of using bloodmeals of Aedes and Culex mosquitoes to detect non-vector borne diseases in humans and animals. This work was part of an international, multi-institutional 'Xenosurveillance' project aiming to improve disease detection in rural villages of Guatemala. Concurrently, Delaney engaged in DBER research supported by the McLean and Popichak Labs, investigating whether hands-on or virtual learning activities were more beneficial for student success in General Microbiology at CSU. This experience ignited her passion for DBER and inspired her to pursue a PhD in Microbiology with a focus on Education Research.

Delaney spends her time outside of CSU in the great outdoors! Hiking, backpacking, climbing, skiing, playing tennis, and camping are some of her favorite activities. She has climbed all 58 of the 14,000ft mountain peaks in Colorado!