Alex Haus

From Wartburg to Iowa State. Not a long journey if you know what a Wartburg is! Alex Haus, the third member of our 2026 REU class, is a student at Wartburg.

For you non-Iowans, Wartburg is a small liberal arts college in Waverly, Iowa (Learn more about Wartburg). We are so pleased to note that Alex is a returning Research Undergraduate Intern. His experience last year proved so valuable that he is now back to gain even more knowledge from his RegenPGC mentor team. (Learn more about Alex’s 2025 summer)

ALEX HAUS – WARTBURG COLLEGE

Brief Bio. I am currently a junior at Northern Arizona University studying Mathematics and Secondary Education with the goal of becoming a high school math teacher. I grew up in Gilbert and later moved to Flagstaff to attend college. Alongside school, I am also a licensed hairstylist and enjoy doing hair part-time while pursuing my degree.

I recently began my practicum experience, where I have worked in both science and math classrooms, which has strengthened my passion for teaching and working with students.

Outside of academics and work, I enjoy watching movies and TV shows, working out, and spending quality time with friends and family. Something unexpected about me is that even though I am a huge math enthusiast, geometry is actually my least favorite area of math.

Why I applied… I applied again to meet new people and build meaningful connections, because last year I met some amazing individuals and had a truly positive experience. Last time, the program provided me with valuable knowledge, new perspectives, and strong relationships, and I am hoping to continue building on that experience. I want to keep growing by learning from others, challenging myself in a new environment, and gaining skills that will support me throughout my college experience and future career.

My expectations for the REU program include… My expectations for the summer RET/REU program include gaining hands-on research experience, building meaningful connections, and finding opportunities to thrive in a new and challenging environment. I want to push myself to grow both personally and academically while learning from others and developing skills that will support me in my future career in education.

From Arizona to Iowa: Meet Kaylee

Kaylee Johnson

From sunny and DRY Arizona to humid Iowa can be a bit of schock in the summer, but having met 2026 Research Undergraduate Intern and future math teacher Kaylee Johnson, we are sure she will take the change in stride.

Kaylee comes to Iowa State University from Northern Arizona University. Here at ISU, Kaylee will work with RegenPGC Collaborator, Dr. Richard Roth and the staff at the Iowa State University Biotechnology Outreach Education Center. We look forward to an excellent summer experience for Kaylee and the entire REU class!

Meet Research Intern Kaylee Johnson

Brief Bio.  I am currently a junior at Northern Arizona University studying Mathematics and Secondary Education with the goal of becoming a high school math teacher. I grew up in Gilbert and later moved to Flagstaff to attend college. Alongside school, I am also a licensed hairstylist and enjoy doing hair part-time while pursuing my degree. I recently began my practicum experience, where I have worked in both science and math classrooms, which has strengthened my passion for teaching and working with students.

Outside of academics and work, I enjoy watching movies and TV shows, working out, and spending quality time with friends and family. Something unexpected about me is that even though I am a huge math enthusiast, geometry is actually my least favorite area of math.

Why I applied… I applied because I wanted the opportunity to explore science in a deeper and more hands-on way. I have always enjoyed physics and even considered minoring in it at one point. I believe this program will help me expand my knowledge and experience within the science field while also strengthening my background as a future math educator.

Math and science naturally connect, and participating in science-based research will allow me to bring more real-world applications and interdisciplinary learning into my future classroom. I am excited to challenge myself, grow academically, and gain experiences that will help me become a more well-rounded educator.

My expectations for the REU program include… My expectations include gaining new knowledge, experiences, and friendships while growing both personally and academically. I hope to learn more about the science field and discover new ways I can apply research and problem-solving skills to my future classroom. I also want to step outside of my comfort zone, contribute meaningfully to the program, and make the most of the opportunity while enjoying the experience along the way.

Summer research experience leads to growth

2025 REU Kylie Buchholz presents her research

One of our success stories at RegenPGC is our participation in Iowa State University‘s summer Research Experience for Undergraduates / Research Experience for Teachers programs. Each spring, Wartburg College hosts RICE Day, where students share research, internships, and creative endeavors they have completed. This past summer, I participated in the REU program and had the opportunity to work on Cameron Krumm’s research in Dr. Shuizhang Fei’s lab. Here is an update from Kylie Buchholz, a Wartburg student and a summer 2025 REU participant.

“After completing the REU, I presented this research at RICE Day this spring. This was a valuable opportunity for me that allowed me to share my experience with a wide range of faculty, students, and community members.

This engaged audience was deeply interested in my experience in the program. They were specifically interested in learning how this research connected to my future career in education. I was able to share multiple different lessons that I learned from my experience, many of which relate to the type of culture I want to create in my classroom.

By participating in this REU, I learned that having a positive attitude and cultivating a supportive community is essential for quality work to be produced. Additionally, this experience reinforced the importance of collecting many different data points before drawing a conclusion. These same things that I learned by participating in the REU are things that I will need to remember when I am shaping what I want my classroom to look like. Presenting the research I worked on this past summer at RICE Day was a great experience for me because it pushed me out of my comfort zone, helped me to reflect on what I want my classroom to be like, and allowed me to share this incredible research with those around me.”

Meet teacher Denise Rogers

Denise Rogers headshot

All the way from Virginia to Iowa! That’s how far high school teacher Denise Rogers has traveled to join the 2025 RegenPGC Research Experience for Teachers. Learn more about Denise and her extensive educational background.

I am a native of Orange County, California. I earned a BS in biology education (Claflin University). I taught in South Carolina for 5 years. I have also earned an MA in interdisciplinary studies with a concentration in environmental science and administration (Virginia Commonwealth University) and an MS in pharmacy with a concentration in forensic science (University of Florida). I have over 30 years of experience teaching middle school science, high school biology, anatomy, forensic science, ecology, and high school summer remediation science classes. I have also served as an instructional specialist for math and science and taught science courses for students in grades 6 –12 in an alternative school setting. I also taught science at ChallengeU, an online graduation recovery program. During the spring of 2019, I earned an educational specialist degree in curriculum and instruction. Currently, I teach high school biology and AP environmental science for Richmond City Public Schools in Richmond, VA. The love that I have for science and children can be seen as I expose students to new and exciting concepts and share my travels and research experiences with everyone.

I applied to the RET program because… I have always enjoyed incorporating biotechnology into my lessons, and I am always looking for new and innovative approaches to teaching. I want to participate in this RET Program to open the possibilities to expose myself and my students to innovative ways to incorporate hands-on laboratory activities and add excitement to learning and teaching new concepts. In addition, I would like to develop useful curriculum materials based on the new concepts that I learn.

My expectations of the RET program are… to learn new procedures, techniques, and research material/practices while networking with other teachers and mentors.

How do you see this experience impacting your classroom? My students will benefit from having additional resources and ways to explore science topics that break the traditional direct instruction model. Opportunities such as this can help to maintain a student-centered learning environment and expose students to new, cutting-edge experiences and techniques.

Meet Kylie Bucholz, future STEM teacher

Kylie Bucholz headshot

Meet RegenPGC Research Experience for Undergraduates intern Kylie Bucholz. She will be mentored this summer by RegenPGC researchers Dr. Shui-zhang Fei and graduate student Cameron Krumm. Here is Kylie in her own words:

I am currently a 2nd year Elementary Education Major attending Wartburg College (Waverly, Iowa).  I am pursuing my K-8 Reading Endorsement and my Middle School Math and Science Endorsement. I am originally from Cedar Falls, Iowa. In my free time, I love to sing songs with my friends, ride my bike with my family, and color pictures!

I applied to the REU program because…  I think it will be a great experience that pushes me to become a better teacher while in a structured environment. This program will allow me to complete hands-on research that I can reference when I am working with my own students in the future. Additionally, this experience will push me out of my comfort zone by placing me in a new place where I will have to learn how to navigate around both Ames and Iowa State.

My expectations from the REU program are… to include many activities that will help develop me as a future educator, being put in situations that push me and are out of my comfort zone, and lots of learning! I will be completing research and attending professional development events, both of which will be completed alongside others, so we can learn together!

Why do you want to become a teacher? Ever since I was in 3rd grade, I knew I wanted to become a teacher, but it wasn’t always going to be in a STEM field. I didn’t decide I wanted to become a teacher in a STEM field until last year, but the idea had been growing on me since middle school. While I was growing up, I always excelled in my STEM classes and found myself wanting to learn more. This was due to my amazing teachers in elementary and middle school. My teachers were able to figure out what I enjoyed and relate my assignments to those things. They gave me extension activities to ensure I was being pushed to my full potential, and they supported me as a whole human, not just as a student.

Additionally, they encouraged me to join the robotics team at my school. By joining this team, I was able to push myself to do my best and think outside of the box when faced with challenges. It also allowed me to see how science and math have practical applications. Due to the amazing experiences I had growing up with my STEM teachers, the idea of becoming one grew on me. Finally, last year I had multiple different people mention to me that I would be a good science teacher and encourage me to explore that route. Ultimately, I have decided to take that route. I now want to become a middle school science teacher so I can encourage my future students to explore their passions and interests the same way that my teachers did for me. I also want to show them that they can do whatever they want if they put their mind to it. The STEM experiences that I had growing up had a huge impact on my decision to teach in a STEM field, and I want to ensure that other kids are able to have these same (or similar) experiences that I did.

 

Meet future STEM teacher, Jacie Staedtler

Jessica Staedtler Headshot

At RegenPGC, we are not only about perennial groundcover, we are about growing the future. That is why we sponsor two research experience programs every summer, the Research Experience for Undergraduates and the Research Experience for Teachers.

Meet Jessica “Jacie” Staedtler, a member of our 2025 Research Experience for Undergraduates Internship. You can learn more about Jacie and her colleagues at https://iastate.box.com/s/4ugs0uvgyrac4q5qcovet3nr0k8lue03.

Hello, my name is Jacie Staedtler. I am going to be a senior at South Dakota State University (Brookings, SD) in the fall, pursuing my mathematics education degree. I am from Spencer, Iowa, and stayed in Alta, Iowa, over the summers. I enjoy reading, being on the farm, cooking, and baking. A fun fact about me is that I have written a recipe book for my family.

I applied to the REU program because… I wanted to grow my understanding of research experience. This program will help me with research techniques and how to be a better teacher. It will also help me connect science and math classrooms, so the collaborations and connections could help my teaching career. I would love a chance to collaborate with other STEM teachers and potentially design cross-curricular materials that can help expand our students’ knowledge. I feel that there’s a lot that can be learned through this type of collaboration, and I would love to be a part of that and begin to build something new to use in classrooms to challenge how students think and learn.

My expectations from the REU program are… I will increase my knowledge and my professional connections.

Why do you want to become a teacher? I have decided to become a STEM teacher because I enjoy the higher-order thinking problems while teaching and connecting them to real-world examples. Also, break the misconception that students are “bad” at math and science. I enjoy connecting the topics with chemistry and velocity problems to help make both enjoyable and collaborative.