Amanda Mayes, M.S., STEM Ed.D.
Faculty, Department of Biological & Physical Sciences
Pueblo Community College
Higher Education Teaching & Leadership
Dr. Amanda Mayes is a faculty member in the Department of Biological & Physical Sciences at Pueblo Community College (PCC), where she teaches biology and chemistry across in-person and online learning environments. Drawing from extensive experience in teaching, tutoring, and laboratory research, she emphasizes design thinking and project-based instructional design that connects scientific concepts with hands-on, applied learning. Within her courses, she develops experiences that foster student agency and encourage students to apply science through intradisciplinary design and authentic problem-solving.
At the state level, Dr. Mayes serves as the Statewide Chemistry Discipline Chair for all chemistry course offerings across the 13 institutions of the Colorado Community College System (CCCS). Within these roles, she connects chemistry faculty with one another and with the system office. She facilitates discipline-wide discussions and collaboration while supporting the alignment and continued development of chemistry offerings across CCCS and Colorado Online.
At the institutional level, Dr. Mayes serves as PCC’s Assessment Chair. She works closely with the Director of Assessment of Student Learning, campus leads, and division leads to strengthen assessment practices across the college. Together, they support faculty and other stakeholders in meaningful assessment and continuous improvement. Dr. Mayes also regularly shares the work of PCC’s assessment team at local and state levels, highlighting the team’s practices, innovations, and ongoing efforts to improve student learning.
Dr. Mayes also serves as a lead in the development of PCC’s research laboratory. Within this role, she has helped guide laboratory design, research capabilities, and instrumentation selection. Her work has contributed to major grant-funded initiatives supporting the laboratory and STEM education, including the HSI Title III STEM project and the Colorado Revitalization Grant. The laboratory is intended to expand opportunities for students and faculty to participate in scientific investigation and applied research directly embedded into current course offerings.
As faculty advisor to the PCC STEM Club, Dr. Mayes mentors students through extracurricular STEM experiences outside of their formal coursework. She supports students as they develop, design, and implement collaborative projects with practical and community-based applications. Club initiatives have included adaptive toy design incorporating soldering and 3D-printed components, an Audubon Society grant-funded perennial planting project on Orman Avenue, and projects exploring environmental effects and restoration in areas impacted by natural disasters.
Dr. Mayes’ scholarly background bridges traditional scientific research and applied action research in STEM education. Her scientific training includes a strong interdisciplinary foundation in chemistry and microbiology, with current interests in energy and environmental systems. Her scientific work has received recognition at regional conferences and has been presented at the national level. Her applied educational research examines how instructional and design choices influence student learning and engagement in STEM. Together, these scientific and educational perspectives inform her approach to continuous improvement in STEM teaching and learning.
Dr. Mayes welcomes opportunities to collaborate with community and professional partners to connect students with authentic, real-world experiences. She is particularly interested in partnerships that bring real-world challenges into the curriculum or provide students opportunities to apply their knowledge beyond the classroom.