Dr. Wilhelm joined the faculty of the University of Kentucky College of Education in 2009 as an Associate Professor in Science Education and as an engagement and outreach faculty member for the University of Kentucky’s Partnership Institute for Mathematics and Science Education. She was promoted to Professor in 2014. She holds an M.S. in Physics from Michigan State University and a Ph.D. in Mathematics/Science Education from the University of Texas at Austin. Prior to joining the faculty at the University of Kentucky, Dr. Wilhelm was an Associate Professor at Texas Tech University and was awarded the Texas Tech University’s Presidential Academic Achievement Award in 2009.
Dr. Wilhelm’s primary research interest involves the design of inquiry-based, project-enhanced, interdisciplinary learning environments. She investigates how people understand science and mathematics concepts as they participate in project work that demands the integration of mulitple content areas. Dr. Wilhelm’s research focuses on project pieces that are inherently interdisciplinary and fruitful for contextualized student learning. Some examples include examining the development of students’ science and mathematics content understanding as they engage in studies of motion and rate of change; sound waves and trigonometry; and the moon’s phases, the moon’s motion, and spatial geometry.