Jackie Bondell is the Education and Outreach Coordinator for both the ARC Centre of Excellence for Dark Matter Particle Physics and the ARC Centre of Excellence for Gravitational Wave Discovery (OzGrav) and is based in Melbourne, Australia.
She develops educational content for public outreach programs and curriculum for school engagement, focusing on incorporating innovative technology and science content into in-depth and curriculum-aligned education opportunities for students and teachers. With a passion for promoting STEM to traditionally underserved populations, she aspires to reach more female students as well as those in rural and regional areas of Australia.
Prior to 2018, Jackie spent 15 years as a Physics instructor in the US. She holds a Masters Degree in Physics and Astronomy and is a National Board Certified Teacher of Secondary Physical Science. During her teaching career, she was the recipient of multiple teaching awards, including the National Science Teachers Association Technology Award for Innovative Use of Technology in Science Teaching.
She has led multiple workshops related to incorporating visualisation technology and current Physics research into the science classroom and has recently authored a chapter in a textbook on teaching contemporary Physics to secondary students.
Jackie is the Chair of the Education and Outreach Chapter Steering Committee for the Astronomical Society of Australia and a National Astronomy Education Coordinator representing Australia to the Office of Astronomy for Education with the International Astronomy Union