Faculty & Staff
Bennett Barr is the Ethics Instructor for the Transition School. He is a Ph.C. in the UW Philosophy department and is currently working on his dissertation. Mr. Barr earned his Masters in Arts in Philosophy from the UW in 2003. His philosophical interests lie primarily in the fields of ethics, epistemology, and philosophy of mind.
Sarah A. Childers is an Assistant Director at the Robinson Center. She is in charge of the UW Academy for Young Scholars and co-directs the Washington Search for Young Scholars. Ms. Childers is a graduate student in Educational Psychology in the UW College of Education; she is pursuing a Ph.D. Her research interests include achievement motivation, collaborative learning, radical acceleration, and adolescence. Ms. Childers earned a Master of Arts in Women Studies from the UW in 2006. From 2003-2004 she participated in Teach for America, teaching middle school science and social studies and coaching soccer. She graduated from the UW with degrees in Political Science and Women Studies in 2003.
Carol L. Crowell is a Program Assistant at the Robinson Center.
Dr. Greg Dash is an Emeritus Professor of Physics and Adjunct Principal Physicist at the Applied Physics Laboratory at the University of Washington, and the co-instructor of Transition School Physics. He earned his Ph.D. in Physics at Columbia University in 1951. Professor Dash is a Fellow of the American Physical Society, and was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship and the Physical Society's Davisson-Germer Prize for electron and atomic physics. He was a Visiting Distinguished Professor in Israel (1974-75) and France (1977, 1982, 1986), directed the NATO Advanced Study Institute in Sicily (1979), and served on the Advisory Committees of the National Science Foundation and the National Magnet Laboratory. In addition to teaching at the Transition School, Professor Dash continues to conduct research in the physics of ice and in surface science. He is the author of numerous articles; he has authored and/or edited three books and published over 200 research articles and reviews in physics journals.
Dr. Maren Halvorsen is an Associate Director of the Robinson Center. She directs the Summer Programs and co-directs the Washington Search for Young Scholars. In addition, Dr. Halvorsen is the History instructor for the Transition School/Early Entrance Program. Dr. Halvorsen received her Ph.D. in History from the University of Washington in 2002 with a focus on Early Modern Europe, with special interest in medieval and early modern spirituality. She has taught numerous courses for the UW Department of History, ranging from introductory courses to advanced senior seminars. She joined the Robinson Center in 1990.
Carol Hayes is the Program Coordinator for Transition School and the Summer Programs. She joined the Robinson Center in May 2007, coming from the Registrar's Office here at UW, and having previously worked for 15 years in the K-12 system and at Oregon State University.
Dr. Ernest Henley is an Emeritus Professor of Physics and the co-instructor of Transition School Physics (since 1999). Professor Henley received a Ph.D. in Physics from the University of California at Berkeley in 1952 and spent time at Stanford and Columbia Universities before coming to the University of Washington in 1954. At the UW Professor Henley was Chair of the Department of Physics (1973-1976) and Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences (1979-1987), and he has served on numerous committees. Although he retired in 1994, Professor Henley has remained active in research (nuclear and particle physics) and has been both Director and Associate Director of the National Institute for Nuclear Theory. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the co-author of several physics books as well as numerous physics articles.
Julie A. Lancour is the Academic Counselor for students in the Transition School, Early Entrance Program and the UW Academy. In addition to designing academic advising programming for students during their first three years at the UW, Ms. Lancour teaches two special seminars for Robinson Center students: Academy 198 for first-year UW Academy and Early Entrance Program students; and UW 101 for Transition School students. Ms. Lancour is currently pursuing a Masters Degree in Higher Education Leadership and Policy Studies in the UW College of Education. Ms. Lancour brings to the Robinson Center over a decade of professional experience advising middle and high school-aged students.
Dr. Therese Mar joined the Transition School in 2004 as the pre-calculus instructor. Dr. Mar earned a Ph.D. in Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, specializing in Toxicology with a research focus of toxicokinetic/pharmacokinetic modeling. Dr. Mar also has a Master of Science degree in Applied Mathematics. In addition to teaching pre-calculus at the Transition School, Dr. Mar teaches math and statistics at the University of Washington's Office of Minority Affairs Instructional Center. Dr. Mar's current research is in the area of air pollution epidemiology, where she is investigating the adverse health effects of air pollution on susceptible populations.
Peter Mullins is the Program Assistant for the Washington Search for Young Scholars. He graduated from the UW in 2007 with a BA in psychology. Mr. Mullins was a member of the first UW Academy cohort.
Judy Petersen is the Administrator for the Robinson Center. She graduated from the University of Washington with a BA in Communications. Born and raised in Seattle, she is the first in her family of seven to achieve a college degree, and she strongly believes in the value of lifetime learning. Ms. Petersen has worked for over 20 years at the University and has a deep appreciation for what this vibrant UW community offers to all. She enjoys making a difference in the lives of future generations and seeks to impart to Robinson Center students, parents, family and friends all the truly wonderful opportunities the UW has to offer them. She still occasionally takes courses offered at the UW but mainly enjoys these days the simpler things in life – family, friends, reading, swimming, hiking and creating from dirt and weeds a colorful garden. After all, “A garden is a masterful teacher – giving in abundance, beauty, fortitude, RE-creation, patience and transformation.”
Dr. John D. Sahr, Associate Dean of Undergraduate Academic Affairs at the University of Washington, is a professor of Electrical Engineering, and Adjunct Professor of Earth and Space Science. He has a long interest in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) education, and is serving as the Interim Director of the Robinson Center for Young Scholars. In addition, Dr. Sahr is co-directing the Washington Search for Young Scholars. Dr. Sahr is an internationally recognized expert in the field of passive radar, and studies ionospheric turbulence with radio waves. He has authored many articles and book chapters about ionospheric physics, and passive radar technology. He has provided summer research experiences for high school students, and has provided Honors projects for Electrical Engineering students who have come from the Robinson Center. Dr. Sahr has served as the Associate Chair for Education in the Department of Electrical Engineering, and also sits on the Board of Trustees of the Evergreen School. He is delighted to work with the wonderful staff and faculty of the Robinson Center during this time of transition as we prepare for a new Director, to serve the talented students in the Pacific Northwest.
Dr. Nancy Sisko is an Associate Director of the Robinson Center. She directs the Transition School and Early Entrance Program and co-directs the Washington Search for Young Scholars. Dr. Sisko is also an Affiliate Assistant Professor of English at the University of Washington. She earned her Ph.D. at the University of Washington in English in 1992. Dr. Sisko serves as the Principal of Transition School and the English instructor for Transition School/Early Entrance Program, where she has taught literature and writing since 1996. Prior to joining the staff of the Robinson Center, Dr. Sisko taught numerous courses at the University of Maine, the University of Washington, and Edmonds Community College, including modern poetry, drama, Shakespeare, American literature, and women writers. Her research interests are in dramatic literature and service learning for gifted students.
Previous Directors of the Robinson Center for Young Scholars
Dr. Nancy M. Robinson directed the Center from 1981 until her retirement in 2000. Dr. Robinson is Professor Emerita of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Washington. She received her Ph.D. in Developmental and Child Clinical Psychology from Stanford University in 1958. Dr. Robinson moved to the UW in 1969 from the University of North Carolina. Known previously for her work in mental retardation, her research interests since 1981, after the death of the Center's founder and her husband, Halbert Robinson, have focused on the effects of marked academic acceleration to college, adjustment issues of gifted children, and verbal and mathematical precocity in very young children. Until 2008, she provided assessment and counseling with gifted children and their families through the Robinson Center. In 1998, she was given the Distinguished Scholar Award, and in 2007, the Ann Isaacs Founders Memorial Award, both by the National Association for Gifted Children. In the Seattle community, she serves on the boards of two independent schools and as a special advocate for several children who are dependents of the State.
Dr. Kathleen D. Noble directed the Center from 2000-2008. Dr. Noble is currently a Professor of Women Studies at the University of Washington. She first joined the Robinson Center in 1989 as the Psychologist and Assistant Director for the Early Entrance Program. She has been on the University of Washington faculty since 1990. Dr. Noble received a Ph.D. from the University of Washington in Counseling Psychology in 1984, and has also studied at the University of Oxford, the University of London, the University of Massachusetts, and Regis College. Dr. Noble's research focuses on issues of highly capable women and adolescents, the ways in which talents and gifts shape women's lives in ways that are distinct from men, the efficacy of early entrance to college and university, and the relationship of spirituality to resilience and psychological health. She is the author and editor of several books and research articles, and has lectured throughout the US and abroad about the psycho-social needs of gifted individuals.