Bennett-Pierre, a Visiting Fellow at CIRES, earned her PhD in Psychology from Temple University. In 2024, she was selected as one of the first social scientists in CIRES' highly competitive Visiting Fellows Program. 

As a postdoctoral researcher, Bennett-Pierre applies cognitive psychology and learning insights to NOAA’s flagship outreach and communication tool, Science on a Sphere (SOS®). She explores how to leverage spatial thinking to improve public understanding of global environmental and climate datasets that are projected on the six-foot spheren. SOS exhibits are deployed in over 200 informal education centers and museums around the world and in many universities and educational institutions. Yet few have researched the learning opportunities of this stunning education tool. 

Bennett-Pierre brings the excellence, innovation, and leadership that the Outstanding Postdoc of the Year Award seeks to honor. Her prominent research productivity, recognized publications and awards, exceptional mentorship, and service to both CU Boulder and the national scholarly community makes her worthy of this recognition. 

“It is such an honor to be recognized,” Bennett-Pierre said. “It has been wonderful working with the team at the Center for Education, Engagement, and Evaluation and I am so appreciative of Dr. Anne Gold's mentorship. I am looking forward to continuing our research in the coming year!”