Junlei Li, Ph.D. is the Program Chair of the Human Development and Education and the Saul Zaentz Senior Lecturer in Early Childhood Education at Harvard Graduate School of Education. As a developmental psychologist, his research and practice focus on supporting the helpers – those who serve children and families on the frontlines of education and social services. Studying orphanages, child care, schools, youth programs, he co-develops the “Simple Interactions” approach (www.simpleinteractions.org) to help affirm what ordinary people do extraordinarily well with children in everyday moments. His work is significantly inspired by the pioneering work of Fred Rogers when he served as the Co-Director and Rita M. McGinley Chair for Early Learning and Children’s Media at the Fred Rogers Center.

Dr. Scott Chamberlin is a professor at the University of Wyoming in the field of mathematics education. His research interests include the use of problem solving activities with upper elementary and middle grade gifted students. Specifically, he investigates student affect and creativity as they relate to mathematical problem solving. Recently, he validated the Chamberlin Affective Instrument for Mathematical Problem Solving (CAIMPS), which may be used by classroom teachers to formally assess student affect as they complete problem-solving tasks in mathematics. Another interest of Dr. Chamberlin pertains to student development of highly creative mathematical solutions while completing mathematical problem solving tasks. Much of this work is a direct result of his work with Model-eliciting Activities (MEAs). MEAs are problem-solving tasks in which solvers are expected to create mathematical models to explain and generate understanding about phenomena and concepts in mathematics.

Things you could learn from this BUTTERCUP episode:

• The role of mentorship in her career as a writer.
• What a diary with a lock did for her during childhood.
• How her Mom and her Dad, Tony Hillerman, inspired her reading and writing life. 
• What it means to Anne to be seduced by research.
• Her connections to the American western landscapes, Navajo nation, and mystery genre.
• Role of mentorship in her stories with strong and powerful female character Bernadette Manuelito (Navajo Nation police office), retired lieutenant Joe Leaphorn, and office Jim Chee.
• The way Anne sets up her daily routine to write. 
• How a mentor changed her life when she was an intern at a news service job for 90 days for a news service as a copy editor then later a reporter to work at the New Mexican.

More from Anne Hillerman here: Website: https://annehillerman.com/ Facebook: @authotannehillerman

Anne Hillerman is the author of best-selling mystery novels and executive producer of the Dark Winds television series on AMC. Her 10th mystery, tentatively titled Solstice of the Shadows, will be released in 2025. All of her novels have been New York Times Best Sellers.

Anne moved to the Southwest with her parents as a toddler, and has happily lived in Santa Fe and Tucson ever since. The eldest of author Tony Hillerman’s six children, she began her career as a journalist. Her non-fiction book Tony Hillerman’s Landscape, on the Road with Chee and Leaphorn led to the exciting world of mystery fiction.

After her father’s death, Anne decided to continue the Jim Chee/Joe Leaphorn mystery series with her debut novel, Spider Woman’s Daughter. The book elevated a minor character, Officer Bernadette Manuelito, to the role of major crime solver. It received the Spur Award from Western Writers of America as the best first mystery. Anne has been honored with many other awards including several New Mexico/Arizona book awards for best mystery, New Mexico Book of the Year, the Frank Waters Awards, The Mountains and Plains Booksellers Award, The Rounders Award, the Will Rogers Medallion, the Wrangler Award (for Dark Winds), and many others.

AMC’s Dark Winds series grew from stories and characters by Tony and Anne Hillerman. The production stars Zahn McClarnon, Kiowa Gordon, Jessica Matten and Deanna Allison among others. The show has been honored with two Primetime Emmy Awards, two Golden Globes, a Western Heritage Awards for the best fictional television drama of 2023 and 2024, and several Vision Awards from the National Association for Multi-ethnicity in Communications. In 2024 it was nominated for an Edgar award for best screen play from Mystery Writers of American. Dark Winds is one of the most watched shows on AMC and AMC + 

When Anne’s not working, she loves to walk with her dogs, read, cook, travel and enjoy the night sky. She lives in Santa Fe and Tucson.

Micki M. Ostrosky is Grayce Wicall Gauthier Professor of Education in the Department of Special Education and Interim Head of the Department of Curriculum & Instruction at the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign (UIUC). She has been at Illinois since 1991. Throughout her career, she has been involved in research and dissemination on the inclusion of children with disabilities, social and emotional competence, and challenging behavior. She was involved in the development of the Pyramid Model for Supporting Social Emotional Competence in Young Children. Micki is a former editor of Young Exceptional Children (YEC), and the co-editor of several YEC monographs. She has co-authored over 100 peer-reviewed articles and several books, including the Making Friends book (2016), which supports the acceptance of individuals with disabilities, The Project Approach for All Learners (2018), CHAMPPS: Children in Action Motor Program for PreschoolerS (20230, and Unpacking the Pyramid Model: A practical guide for preschool teachers.(2021). Micki has been recognized for her professional accomplishments with honors such as UIUC University Scholar, Goldstick Family Scholar, College of Education Senior Scholar, and the Division of Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children’s Award for Mentoring, and most recently DEC’s Mary McEvoy Service to the Field Award. Finally, Micki has been the advisor of more than 30 PhD students who have graduated from the University of Ilinois.

Dr. Ilene Schwartz is a professor in the Area of Special Education at the University of Washington and the Director of the Haring Center for Inclusive Education at UW. She earned her Ph.D. in child and developmental psychology from the University of Kansas and is a board certified behavior analyst (BCBA-D). Dr. Schwartz has an active research and professional training agenda with primary interests in the areas of autism, inclusive education, professional ethics, and the sustainability of educational interventions. Dr. Schwartz is the director of Project DATA, a model preschool program for children with autism that has been in operation since 1997 and was started as a model demonstration project with OSEP funding. She is currently working on projects to improve the quality of inclusive services for students with disabilities and strategies that can be used to improve access to services for young children with ASD in under resourced areas.

Dr. Ann Anderson Berry is a Professor and Vice-Chair of Research of the Department of Pediatrics and the Executive Director of the Child Health Research Institute at UNMC and Vice-President of Research at Children’s Hospital & Medical Center. Additionally, she serves as Division chief of Neonatology and is the founding Medical Director of the Nebraska Perinatal Quality Improvement Collaborative (NPQIC). Her research activities include funded federal and state research grants evaluating Perinatal nutrition and the impact on maternal and fetal outcomes, and grants to better understand Neonatal Opioid Withdrawal Syndrome (NOWS), the impact of intrauterine opioid exposure on brain development, and the compounded impact of poor nutrition and social stressors on infants with intrauterine opioid exposure. She is a constant advocate for Nebraska families and understands the importance of recognizing rural and urban needs when allocating perinatal resources. As a mentor to multiple students at the undergraduate, medical student and resident level as well as the PhD students she trains she works to prepare trainees to do impactful and outstanding work in their chosen fields. Dr. Anderson Berry serves on national committees for the American Society of Nutrition, the Pediatric Academic Society and the Association of Neonatologists. She completed her training at the University of Wyoming for undergraduate studies, Creighton University for her medical degree, her Pediatric Residency and PhD at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, and her Fellowship in Neonatology at the University of Utah. She loves spend time with her two daughters and husband in the mountains of Wyoming.

Dr. Danila Crespin Zidovsky is the Senior Policy and Leadership Specialist at the Saul Zaentz Early Education Initiative. Prior to joining Zaentz, Dr. Crespin Zidovsky served as Special Assistant to New Mexico’s Secretary of Education. She has served as senior staff for multiple political campaigns, both at the national and at the local level. She was an original member of U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich’s staff, as well as senior staff during his successful reelection campaign, when only a handful of Democratic representatives won their races across the country. Dr. Crespin Zidovsky has taught both in South Korea and New Mexico, and for numerous nonprofits focused on early education and social justice. She holds a Doctorate in Education Leadership from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Emily Wiklund Hayhurst is the Assistant Director of Learning Design and Communications at the Zaentz Early Education Initiative, where she develops professional learning programs, multimedia resources, and action-oriented tools for early education leaders, practitioners, and policymakers. Emily graduated from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, earning a master’s degree in human development and psychology while participating in the Zaentz Fellows Program. Before coming to Harvard, she served as an early childhood educator in Washington, D.C.

https://zaentz.gse.harvard.edu/

https://zaentznavigator.gse.harvard.edu/

Dr. Alessandra Landini is the Principal of the I.C. A. Manzoni in Reggio Emilia, with a PhD in Human Sciences, thesis in Physics Education from the Department of Education and Human Sciences at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, and a Master Degree in Organization and Management of Multicultural School Institutions from Alma Mater, Bologna. Her scientific education research project studies a vertical science curriculum based on storytelling and the use of metaphor, between early childhood and secondary school. Her doctoral thesis examined the approach to the study of energy in primary schools and the multi-metaphoric nature of the concept of energy.

Her other areas of interest range from general didactics to innovative teaching. As a General Didactics’ expert at UNIMORE, she provides integrative teaching activities at the university. She collaborates with the "Metaphor and Narrative in Science" research center and provides teacher training on inclusive didactics as a national trainer for AID (Italian Dyslexia Association). Other areas of research focus on the use of descriptive evaluation in first and second grade secondary schools and teacher training as a community of practice, with particular attention to the development of creative skills in STEAM, integrating school and museum settings. Since 2020, she has been studying a vertical curriculum of Heritage and Citizenship with her institute, which leads teachers and students to immerse themselves in the city's territory and museum and cultural heritage.

Dr. Robin McWilliam is a professor of special education at The University of Alabama . Dr. McWilliam is also the Founder and Director of the Evidence-based International Early Intervention Office (EIEIO). His research interests are in early intervention (birth to age 6), specifically models of service delivery, working with families, and child engagement. Dr. McWilliam developed the Routines-Based Model of Early Intervention (Birth-6) and am involved in its implementation in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Paraguay, Poland, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, Taiwan, and the U.S. Dr. McWilliam developed the international community of practice called The RAM Group, to provide research and technical assistance on the Routines-Based Model. Dr. McWilliam teaches doctoral students, lectures, conducts workshops, and writes. He serve as the International Editor of the scholarly journal Infants & Young Children and serves on numerous editorial boards.

Dr. Scott McConnell has been a teacher, program director, researcher and college professor interested in preschool and early elementary education for more than 40 years. Scott is a professor emeritus of educational psychology at the University of Minnesota and Director of Assessment Innovation at Renaissance Learning. Prior to joining Renaissance, Scott was part of a multi-university team that developed Individual Growth and Development Indicators, and he’s conducted research on their use in preschool classrooms. His professional interests focus on young children’s paths to becoming proficient readers, and the ways that systematic interventions like multi-tiered systems of support can help all children achieve that goal. He earned his bachelor’s degree in psychology at Portland State University and his master’s degree in school psychology and PhD in educational psychology at the University of Oregon. Scott lives in Minnesota, and he and his wife Laurie Davis are parents of four adult children.