Meet Our Team

Meet Dr. Fox

Sierra STEM was launched in 2021 by Dr. Neal Fox (he/him), an interdisciplinary STEM educator, mentor, and researcher and an avid outdoorsman living in California’s Sierra Nevada east of Yosemite National Park.

Neal has spent hundreds of nights under the stars, including some three months on the Appalachian Trail, thousands of miles of hiking west of America’s Continental Divide, and backpacking trips in over a dozen countries. He is passionate about introducing people of all ages to camping, backpacking, and other outdoor adventures.

As a high school educator, “Dr. Fox” designed unique courses centered around inquiry-based, experiential learning including: Evolution, Genetics, & Ecology; Data Analytics; Cognitive Neuroscience and Psychology; and Advanced Topics in Biology. In the classroom, Dr. Fox was known for designing immersive weeks-long labs and projects that engaged students in creative project-based learning experiences.

Before becoming a high school teacher, Dr. Fox spent a decade doing research and teaching in academia. His scientific research focused on computational, neurobiological, and cognitive models of human speech perception and production. He earned his B.A. in Cognitive Science from the University of Virginia, his M.S. and Ph.D. in Cognitive Science from Brown University, and was a postdoctoral research fellow in the Department of Neurological Surgery at the University of California, San Francisco. His research and training were funded by fellowships from the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, and Brown Institute for Brain Science.

Dr. Fox lives and hikes with his wife, three kids, and cattle dog-retriever mix (Ginny!) in June Lake, CA.

Meet Claire

Claire Landowski (she/her) joined Sierra STEM as Operations Director in 2024. She has been picking up pretty rocks in the mountains and rivers of the western United States for as long as she can remember.

As a budding geologist at the University of Arizona, an undergraduate research trip to Antarctica sparked Claire’s interest in glaciology. During her MS in Geology at the University of Wyoming, Claire worked to understand the mechanics of glaciers and how they move in her thesis, entitled Glacial Hydrology and Geochemistry of Meltwaters of the West Greenland Ice Sheet.

Since graduating, Claire’s work has focused heavily on science communication, including seven years with the U.S. Geological Survey’s Science Publishing Network and writing scripts for the popular YouTube channel SciShow. Pivoting to the nonprofit sphere in 2020, she served as the Office Director at the Mono Lake Committee for three years.

Claire brings a wealth of skills in project logistics and organizational administration, not to mention doing science and education in the outdoors. When she’s not planning programs or managing office administration for Sierra STEM, you’ll likely find Claire outside – backpacking, riding bikes, hiking, or camping – with her husband, John, and their two dogs, Hank and Ruby.

Meet Callan

Callan Godshalk (he/him) joined Sierra STEM as Education Director in 2024. Callan has lived in the Eastern Sierra since 2014, but has been recreating in the mountains for his entire life. Having grown up in Western New York, he graduated with Distinction in Outdoor Education from Northland College.

Prior to joining Sierra STEM, Callan’s professional experience as an outdoor educator included leading trips for neurodiverse students at Camp Akeela in Vermont and coaching the Elite Freeski Team at Mammoth Mountain. In addition to his outdoor education work, Callan’s prior experience has encompassed all aspects of the “STEM” acronym as Production Brewer at June Lake Brewing, our local craft brewery. Since moving to June Lake, Callan has also honed his technical mountaineering and risk management skills as a volunteer with Mono County Search and Rescue and with certifications in avalanche education and wilderness medicine.

Since he will always remain a child at heart, Callan brings unmatched energy and enthusiasm while teaching and learning from Sierra STEM’s students in our dynamic outdoor classrooms. Outside of work, Callan spends as much time as possible backcountry skiing, climbing, trail running, and mountain biking in the mountains he calls home.