Randy Kochevar, PhD, is a senior research scientist and the director of EDC’s Oceans of Data Institute. He leads a team that is working to transform K–16 science education through instructional design, research, and strategic partnerships with education and industry leaders.
A trained marine biologist, Kochevar has spent most of his 20-year career working at the intersection of scientific discovery and science education. He has helped develop ambitious, collaborative research initiatives to gather data about the habits of marine life, including billfish, sharks, and tunas. This work has both advanced the field of marine biology and informed public policy. He has also worked with educators, researchers, and software developers to create digital tools that help students and scientists explore patterns in authentic marine data.
Before joining EDC, Kochevar was stationed at Stanford University’s Hopkins Marine Station and at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. He holds a PhD in deep-sea physiology from the University of California, Santa Barbara.
“I want to inspire people to explore the world around them and to give them tools to ask and answer the questions that matter to their lives.”
Speaking Highlights
Ocean Tracks: College Edition—Promoting Data Literacy in Science Education at the Undergraduate Level
Media
Articles
“New App Allows Public to Track Great White Shark Movements”
The Weather Network, February 19, 2015
Video
“Floating Robot Tech Lets You Track Great White Sharks Swimming Along California Coast in Real Time”
CBS SF Bay Area, January 29, 2015
Selected Publications
Kochevar, R. E, Krumhansl, R., Krumhansl, K., Peach, C. L., Bardar, E., Louie, J., . . . DeLisi, J. (2015, July/August). Inspiring future marine and data scientists through the lure of Ocean Tracks. Marine Technology Society Journal, 49(4), 64–75.
Busey, A., Krumhansl, R., Mueller-Northcott, J., Louie, J., Kochevar, R., Krumhansl, K., & Zetterlind, V. (2015, Summer). Harvesting a sea of data. The Science Teacher, 82(5), 43–49.
Selected Resources
This report offers research-backed guidelines to support designers of big data interfaces for education.
This resource library contains research, presentations, and white papers developed by EDC’s Oceans of Data Institute (ODI), which is dedicated to transforming education to help individuals succeed
This occupational profile details the skills, knowledge, and behaviors needed for success in big data fields.
EDC is collaborating with the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, at the University of California, San Diego, to create this interactive, Web-based learning resource.