Dr. Jeanne Ting Chowning is the Senior Director of Science Education and the Interim Director of the Office of Education and Training at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle. For over 25 years, she has focused her professional efforts on improving science education and promoting equity for students from marginalized and systemically excluded groups. In addition to her strategic role in providing leadership to the high school and undergraduate science outreach and internship programs at Fred Hutch, she also directs the teacher professional development program (the Science Education Partnership, or SEP). She is the Principal Investigator on two federal science education grants centered on teacher professional learning, curriculum development, and student research experiences.

Her team helps teachers bring cutting-edge molecular biology and topics such as DNA technologies, cancer research, and conservation biology to high school teachers and students. A special emphasis of SEP’s work has been on developing educational resources related to biology and social justice: for example, debunking the idea that race is a genetically meaningful category, exploring how wrongly convicted individuals can be exonerated using DNA technology, and investigating causes and potential solutions for health inequities.

She began her career as a public high school science teacher in the Seattle area. After leaving the classroom, she led education programs focused on the intersections of science, ethics, and society at the Northwest Association for Biomedical Research for over a decade. Prior to joining Fred Hutch, she served as the Associate Executive Director of Rainier Scholars, a leadership and academic enrichment program that provides 12-years of comprehensive support to low-income students of color who will be first in their family to obtain a college degree.

She currently serves on the Council of the National Science Teaching Association as the District Director for Washington, Alaska, and Oregon. In 2019, she was honored for Excellence in STEM Education/Outreach by the Seattle-area chapter of the Association for Women in Science. Dr. Chowning earned a BA in Biology from Cornell University and a BFA in Fine Art from the San Francisco Art Institute. In addition, she received her Teaching Certification, an MS in Biology Education, and a PhD in Learning Sciences/Science Education from the University of Washington.