Professor of Practice
UTeach Maker Director
Assistant Dean for Professional Track Faculty - College of Natural Sciences
Dr. Rodriguez is a professor of practice in the UTeach program, where she has supported multiple courses—including Step 1, Classroom Interactions, and Student Teaching—and helped prepare beginning and pre-service teachers for success in STEM classrooms. She is also the Director of UTeach Maker, a micro-credentialing program that equips UTeach students to integrate innovative, project-based maker practices into their STEM instruction and makerspace environments. In addition, she has coordinated the UTeach Noyce Scholars program and currently serves as the Internship Coordinator, strengthening partnerships across community organizations, school districts, and the UTeach program.
Before joining UT Austin, Dr. Rodriguez taught secondary science for 12 years, earned National Board Certification, and conducted research from studying tropical frog behavior at The Smithsonian Research Institute to supporting undergraduate field projects at UC–Davis. She received the 2012 Outstanding Paper Award from the National Association for Research in Science Teaching (NARST) for her work on mentoring preservice teachers and earned her Ph.D. in Science Education in 2013.
Since 2022, Dr. Rodriguez has served as the Assistant Dean for Professional Track Faculty in the College of Natural Sciences. In this role, she leads new-faculty orientation, oversees ongoing professional development, and convenes specialized committees that support professional-track faculty. She also provides guidance to faculty preparing for promotion, helps communicate key college and university initiatives, and serves as a responsive resource for faculty questions and concerns.
Dr. Rodriguez’s current scholarly interests include maker education, mentoring, and faculty professional development.