Rebecca Hite

Dr. Rebecca Hite is an Associate Professor and the Helen DeVitt Jones Endowed Professor in Professional Education at Texas Tech University's Department of Curriculum and Instruction. She directs the CATALYST center and serves as Associate Director of Professional Development at CIRCLE. Her NSF-funded work focuses on developing STEM teachers in West Texas through learning assistantships and scholarships. Prior to academia, she taught high school science for 13 years and served as a Congressional Educator Fellow in Washington, D.C., and a policy intern in North Carolina. She founded the TX-EPFP leadership program in 2019.

Education:

• Ph.D. in Science Education, North Carolina State University
• M.A. in Secondary Science Teaching, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
• B.S. in Biology and B.A. in Geography, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Research Interests: Dr. Hite explores the impact of emerging technologies (e.g., VR, AR) in formal/informal STEM education, equity for underrepresented groups, STEM teacher advocacy, and policy-based leadership development. Her work emphasizes bridging classroom practices with global and community engagement through immersive technologies and policy advocacy.

Awards & Recognition:

• 2024 Open Access Intellectual Contributions Award (TTU Libraries)
• 2022 Chancellor’s Council Distinguished Research Award
• 2016 John C. Park Technology Leadership Fellowship
• 2023 ASTE Outstanding Mentorship Award

Grants & Leadership: PI of NSF Award #1852944; led TX-EPFP (2019–2024), fostering STEM leadership. Her work integrates university outreach with K-12 policy advocacy, emphasizing community-engaged research.

Labs/Teams: Directs the CATALYST center (advocacy-focused teacher leadership) and collaborates with CIRCLE on professional development initiatives. Active in global collaborations, including Thai-U.S. engineering projects and Bahamian STEM equity studies.