The Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University has appointed Kenneth Costenson and Lisa Osinga as outreach educators. Together, they bring more than 35 years of teaching and educational administrative experience to the institute.
Costenson and Osinga will develop tactile and experiential science-based education for teachers and students in grades K-6, and will seek outside funding to support these programs.
“Ken and Lisa have expertise in delivering science curriculum that engages students that will be a great asset in our efforts to inspire the next generation of scientists,” said Richard Fisher, director of education outreach for Biodesign.
A seasoned educator, Costensen most recently served as secondary science specialist for the Mesa Public Schools. There, he coordinated the delivery of the science curriculum for the junior and senior high schools throughout the district. He supervised and was instrumental in establishing the Mesa Biotech Academy at Mesa High School, which has become a national model for secondary biotechnology programs.
Costenson started working with students in 1969 in Davenport, Iowa. He has inspired students through his 19 years as a teacher at Dobson High School in Mesa and prior teaching roles in Illinois and Texas. Since moving to the Phoenix area, Costenson also served as an adjunct instructor at Rio Salado Community College in Tempe and ASU at both the Tempe and Polytechnic campuses.
He earned both an MS in zoology and a BS in biology from the Western Illinois University in Macomb.
Osinga brings a fresh classroom perspective to the position of outreach educator. Prior to her current position, Osinga was a biology teacher at Thunderbird High School in Phoenix. There, she taught accelerated biology and general biology courses.
Since 2006, Osinga has been part of Promoting Reform through Instructional Materials that Educate (PRIME), a program that facilitates the selection of quality teaching materials, which align with Arizona science standards. In fact, she completed Project PRIME’s graduate-level program at Northern Arizona University.
Osinga earned both a BS in biology and a master’s in secondary education from ASU.
