Dr. Joshua Montgomery – Director of Education

Dr. Joshua Montgomery is a Professor of Computer Science at Southern State Community College. Senior Lecturer at THE Ohio State University. Adjunct Instructor at Southern New Hampshire University. Curriculum Coordinator for the Ohio Code Scholar project. Director of Education for the TSJ Foundation. Dr. Montgomery has been a professor for over 10 years, and before that was the Technology Director for the Chillicothe City Schools for 13 years. He is the Curriculum Coordinator for the Ohio Coders Project, an initiative that was developed by the state of Ohio to help K-12 schools in the southern region of the state to develop coding programs and skills for students. Montgomery is the cofounder of SOMACC (Southern Ohio Makers Against COVID Coalition). This grassroots group built 4,500 3D-printed face shields for first responders at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. He is the inventor of the Droid Builders Mini-Dome, a teaching tool used to instruct students in electronics and coding by using a 50% scaled 3D printed R2-D2 dome that can be programmed to blink lights, move motors and play sounds. This project was supported, funded and powered by the Grant Imahara Foundation and now supported and funded by COSI Museum.

The Grant Imahara Foundation purchased supplies and materials for 102 students to build 72 domes for the 2021/2022 school year so students can complete the Grant Imahara Coding Challenge. This coding challenge is a supported initiative by the Ohio Coders Project and will help to further those students understanding of both electronics and coding. Montgomery is also an active member of the Star Wars builder communities.
One of his most significant accomplishments is building a replica of R2-D2, a droid from the movie Star Wars that took him 2.5 years to complete. Montgomery used that experience of building R2-D2 to change how he teaches classes at his college. He explained how building R2-D2 made him a better teacher in his Ted Talk at Dayton Ohio in 2021. Josh and his wife, Brandy, reside in Southern Ohio with their two children and 4 dogs.

Dr. Lindsay Burns – Assistant Director of Education

Education in all its unique forms has always been a passion for Dr. Lindsay Burns. Dr. Burns has been teaching for 12 years, teaching courses in middle school and high school math and science and undergraduate and graduate level courses for the College of Education at The Ohio State University. Dr. Burns completed her undergraduate degree at Ohio University with a B.S. in Middle Childhood Education. As she began her teaching career in a sixth-grade math classroom, she completed her master’s in education at Wright State University. Early on in her career, Dr. Burns realized her interest in curriculum and leadership—knowing that you can create something that can have a lasting positive impact on a child’s education is truly incredible. So, Dr. Burns returned to Wright State to pursue an education specialist degree in Curriculum, Instruction, and Professional Development. While getting her curriculum administration license for the state of Ohio, she began teaching eighth grade and high school physical science, before returning to eight-grade science to write the curriculum and teach a new integrated STEM course. It was this experience that encouraged her exploration of Ph.D. programs—which landed her at The Ohio State University, researching informal science education and informal science institutions. Her research interests have centered around immersiveness, which examines and integrates exhibit vision, visitor experience, and exhibit goals to create unique learning experiences for science students of all ages and backgrounds. Additional previous projects include engineering education studies, citizen science projects, integrated STEM consulting, and presentations and talks about integrated STEM education.

Dr. Burns currently works as an evaluation specialist contracted to NASA’s Office of STEM Engagement. When not working on projects with Guardians of Honor, LLC., Paragon-TEC, NASA, Ohio State University, New York University, or the Arabidopsis Biological Resource Center, Lindsay enjoys building Legos and watching Star Wars movies with her husband and two children.

Elizabeth Tao – Educational Team Member

For over 15 years, Elizabeth Tao has been supporting Early Childhood Special Education programs in her role as an instructor in Fairfax and Loudoun County Public Schools. Her personal philosophy is that all children can learn. She received her BA in English in 2001 from James Madison University and her MA in Curriculum and Instruction from George Mason University in 2008.

Elizabeth has been an ardent fan of the Star Wars universe since she was 4 years of age. She saw Star Wars on the big screen and, according to her mother, Elizabeth was mesmerized by the movie. Princess Leia was (and still is) her favorite character. Leia taught Elizabeth at a young age that women could be heroes. She is excited to be a part of the foundation because she believes in the mission of bringing STEAM to the students through the love of Star Wars and other themed experiences.

When she is not teaching, Elizabeth loves to attend pop culture conventions such as Star Wars Celebration and creating costumes to engage with other attendees. She hopes to assist the foundation in bridging the gap for kids of all ages between learning and having a fun experience.

Elizabeth lives in Northern Virginia with her husband and four parrots and loves to watch movies and assemble Legos.

Thomas Nixon – Educational Team Member

Dedicated and accomplished professional with over 19 years of experience at Karolinska Institutet, specializing in the development of more than 800 medical film productions across various departments and educational divisions. These productions have served both national and international audiences, encompassing a wide spectrum from fundamental medical lectures to advanced 3D interactive presentations. I have had the privilege of collaborating on an international scale with esteemed institutions such as Stanford University, Harvard, and the Mayo Clinic, primarily focusing on neurophysiology and related fields.

During my tenure, I worked on loan from the Karolinska Institutet at Stanford in the early 2000s, where I pioneered the development of the first-of-its-kind online 3D simulation of the human brain. This online tool became an essential learning resource for medical students and played a pivotal role in their course curriculum. Subsequently, it underwent further development at Harvard Medical School. Additionally, in the early 2000s, while on loan to the Mayo Clinic in Florida, I contributed to the creation of a digital teaching tool that highlighted the possibilities of reinvigorating the human pancreas, enabling it to produce insulin, thereby significantly advancing our understanding of insulin production.

Throughout my career, I have consistently expanded my role, taking on project management responsibilities and serving as a film coordinator for Karolinska’s film production team, thereby enhancing filming and editing capabilities. Furthermore, I spearheaded the design and establishment of four state-of-the-art recording studios for video and audio production between late 2013 and early 2014. These studios were subsequently utilized by renowned broadcasters such as the BBC (UK), TV4 (Sweden), and SVT (Sweden/Norway).

In 2013, I played a pivotal role in positioning Karolinska Institutet as the first Swedish university to produce Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) through the edX platform. These MOOCs are heavily reliant on high-quality video production, and I currently hold the position of open online courses coordinator and developer for all film production initiatives within all educational platforms produced by Karolinska Institutet.

Judson Burns – Educational Team Member

­­­­­­Judson Burns is a veteran music educator with 19 years of experience. He has taught elementary, middle school, and high school band, as well as marching band, jazz band, and general music. Judson also has expertise in percussion and drumline instruction, as well as percussion performance. Judson holds a Bachelor of Music degree in K-12 Instrumental Music and a Masters in Teacher Leadership and Curriculum. He plays in a local jazz band and enjoys teaching drum lessons. Judson is a lifelong Star Wars fan, growing up with the movies and franchise. Additionally, Jud enjoys hunting, fishing, and being outdoors. He adores time with his wife, Lindsay, two children, Jonah and Lilah, and black Lab, Apollo. Judson became an educator to positively impact student lives, and this continues to drive him. He is thankful for the opportunity to join the TSJ team.

Trent – Educational Technician

I am one of the biggest nerds I know. I love video games, books, anime, comics, and robots. I was on my robotics team throughout middle and high school, I learned how to play all of the Resident Evil save room themes on piano, I decided to major in Computer Science and Engineering because I wanted to code and work with technology for a career. I learned a great deal at OSU and now as I get ready to graduate, I hope I get the chance to be a nerd for a while longer.

Alvin – Educational Technician

My name is Alvin, and I am a senior computer science student here at Ohio State. I have enjoyed working on this mini-dome project and seeing it come to life. Since I was a kid, I have always been interested in technology and getting my hands on new innovations. My first experience learning about computers came in 8th grade when I took a class that gave me the opportunity to take apart a computer and learn about the different parts inside. A few years after that, I became part of an after-school program where I worked on coding directions for a drone and a simple interactive Python chatbot. From then on, I took some computer science courses at my school, which led me to study computer science in college. Over the past few years, as I have taken various courses and gotten my first internship, I have taken pleasure in learning and working through challenges, and I hope to inspire others to pursue the same route!

Alex Bradshaw Educational Technician

Alex Bradshaw is currently a student at Southern State Community College. He is focusing on Networking and Cybersecurity. He has plans to transfer to the University of Cincinnati to continue his education toward a Master’s in Cybersecurity. He is currently assisting Dr. Montgomery with the R2 Mini-dome project. The project teaches kids the basics of coding and electrical engineering principles. Alex has a passion for helping and teaching others. He enjoys playing DND, watching anime, and being a nerd in his free time. 

Cole Newsome Educational Technician

Cole Newsome is currently a student at Southern State Community College. Inside of the Networking and Cybersecurity pathway he plans to transfer to UC to pursue his bachelor’s and master’s degree. He has been involved with STEM based projects from a young age through both school and 4H. After starting at SSCC, he has begun helping with the many projects Doctor Montgomery has been undertaking, helping with the Grant Imahara Coding Challenge and with the Code Scholar Program. Being able to work with good friends, and amazing colleagues, Cole has been able to enjoy teaching the kids around the state involved in the projects. Thanks to his mentors, Cole has seen how far people can go with what they enjoy and is excited to help with future projects.

Tyler Havens Educational Technician

Tyler Havens is a student at Southern State Community College located in Hillsboro, Ohio and seeking to get his degree in networking and cyber security. He is currently working for his professor Doctor Joshua Montgomery as a laboratory aid and assisting with projects such as the Ohio Code Scholar program. Working closely with some of the finest droid builders and mechanical engineers in the country he has developed a great sense of what hard work and determination can do for a community when a group of likeminded individuals come together to do something great. Tyler has only been working with robotics for less than 6 months but has since learned a great deal of knowledge and seeks to teach and help others along their robotics journey as well.

Tyler Havens (21)
Undergrad at Southern State for networking and cyber security
Working under Doc. Montgomery as a laboratory aid
Projects include “The code scholar program” and the “grant Imahara coding challenge”
Working on robotics for a little under 6 months