Warren County Community College faculty member involved in research

Among the features that set Warren County Community College apart are the experts who serve in its faculty, including one researcher engaged in important work studying gender in science education at a time when it is clear there is a pressing need for top-notch scientists.

Allison Witucki, the institutional research director at Warren, spends time working on enrollment data for the college and on faculty support, but also in the school’s science labs, where she teaches microbiology.

But then, beyond that, she also works with researchers at several universities, a team of which most recently published a paper suggesting there are subtle ways women might be encouraged to develop a greater interest in the sciences and see pathways for careers.

“Community Colleges are so often underestimated,” says Warren President Will Austin. “Everyone knows we are excellent at training students for the jobs of tomorrow and practical, skill-based careers, but we also build communities of educators and offer a platform for the advancement of knowledge and an appreciation of learning.”

“We’re proud to have educators like Allison on board who guide our students in fields like microbiology, but who also pursue important research that can further inspire their students, advance knowledge in their fields and create an atmosphere on campus where learning is a priority.”

Witucki, who joined Warren in 2024, has been deeply involved in published research about how to teach students about the often-misunderstood key tenets of science and how to break down barriers for women interested in the field and about how college courses can generally be redesigned to be more effective, including for online instruction.

Her most recent paper, researched with four colleagues and published in December in the journal Science and Education, found that when exposed to the story of a top scientific researcher who never fully got credit for her work in her lifetime, students had a better interest in and understanding of the role of key scientific principles and were more enthusiastic about furthering their learning about science.

“Our narrative was designed explicitly to challenge cultural stereotypes and encourage participants to feel more confident in their ability to succeed in science and pursue science careers,” Witucki and her colleagues wrote. “The results indicated that students significantly increased their understanding of the social and cultural aspect of the nature of science.”

“I’ve been lucky to find this position at Warren where I can use my research skills to develop good data that demonstrates how the college is fulfilling its mission. But I’m also in the classroom helping students gain an appreciation and understanding of science and have this opportunity continue research on these critical topics.”

Austin noted that Warren prides itself in finding talented educators who stay current in their fields and help create a community where learning happens at all levels.

“We have students learning the fundamentals of graphic design or computer programming, but we also are training skilled nurses and other health care professionals and we’re offering programs in the expanding new arenas of agribusiness, robotics and drone flight. It’s an exciting time at community colleges.”

Witucki received her bachelor’s degree from St. Joseph’s College, her master’s from Ball State University and her PhD from Western Michigan University.

As a student and professor, she has won several awards for her work in research, which often looked theoretically at the process involved in science education, but has included direct work on improving the curriculum, materials and teaching techniques in science classrooms.

“I think society has come to understand the importance of science and I’m interested in how we teach it – including online – and how we make it accessible to all students who have an interested and aptitude,” she said.

Warren County Community College has steadily grown its enrollment, offering a wide range of degrees and certificates in business management, computer science and graphics, creative writing, communications and liberal arts, medical assisting, physical therapy and nursing, criminal justice, unmanned systems and various scientific fields.

Its nursing school graduates and sought after throughout the region and its unmanned systems and drone program has got international attention and is considered one of the best such programs in the country.