Mathematics, Computer Science and Statistics

Lisa Grossbauer posing outside on the Ursinus campus
Lisa Grossbauer posing outside on the Ursinus campus

Lisa A. Grossbauer

Lisa Grossbauer, Collegiate Assistant Professor of Mathematics, earned a BS in Mathematics and an MS in Applied Statistics from Villanova University and her PhD from Lehigh University. After 15 years at Lockheed Martin Corporation working as an Aerospace Software Engineer, she entered higher education teaching while simultaneously attending Ursinus College for her Secondary Education Certification in Mathematics as a post-baccalaureate. She received her Pennsylvania certification in Mathematics from Ursinus College then joined the mathematics department the following semester.

She is interested in math and statistics education, specifically coaching young educators on the importance of making real world connections in mathematics in order to cultivate a deeper more meaningful understanding of mathematics. Lisa has spent much of her teaching career exploring various pedagogies and their success in helping students to discover and enjoy mathematics. She is a member of the ASA, NCTM, ATMOPAV, and PASTA professional associations.  Additionally, She is a reader for the AP-Statistics exam through Educational Testing Services.

Lisa focuses much of her scholarly work on females and first-generation students along with their retention in math intensive areas of STEM. Specifically, she explores the effects of math self-beliefs (grounded in the learning theories of expectancy-value-cost and self-efficacy) on math performance with a focus on understanding the differences among first generation students, gender, and under-represented minorities. She enjoys sharing her statistical knowledge with the educational community to advance educational research.

She was invited by the University of Pennsylvania, Children’s Hospital to become a member of their Family Partners Organization where she guest speaks at the medical school, stroke clinic, and new employee orientations as well as provide parent input into hospital policies. She was appointed as a member of the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Professional Advisory Board on Home Care. She serves as a member of the parent group supporting the following Grant through the Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute(Shellhaas & Glass, co-PIs) : Continued anticonvulsants after resolution of neonatal seizures: a patient-centered comparative effectiveness (recently published in the Journal of Pediatrics). 

She is a mother of 4 children with her oldest child a special needs adult son. She loves spending time with her husband and children sharing their common love of the beach. She can be found most summer afternoons with her “beach family” enjoying the surf, sun and cool ocean breezes (often reading about teaching and learning).

Department

Mathematics, Computer Science, and Statistics

Degrees

  • PhD in Teaching, Learning, and Technology, Lehigh University
  • MS in Applied Statistics, Villanova University
  • Secondary Education Certification in Mathematics, Ursinus College
  • BS in Mathematics, Villanova University

Teaching

Calculus I & II

Statistics I & II

Biostatistics

Geometry in Art

Precalculus

College Algebra

Professional Experience

U.S. Navy, Naval Air Development Center

General Electric Company, Military and Data Systems Organization

Martin Marietta Corporation

Lockheed Martin Corporation

Rosemont College

Ursinus College

Member of NCTM, ASA, ATMOPAV, & PASTA Professional Organizations

Member of Family Services Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia

Member of Professional Advisory Board of CHOP

AP Statistics Reader

Research Interests

First-Generation Students and Female Retention in STEM

Mathematics and Statistics Education

Student Teacher Mentoring

Recent Work

Dissertation (2023): Calculus Gate: The Impact of Self-Beliefs and High School Math Experient Upon Performance on College Math Placement Exams

Grossbauer, L. A., Caskie G.I.L, Bodzin, A.M. (2023). A Measurement Tool for Math Self-Beliefs: Examining Invariance Across Gender and First-Generation Status [Manuscript submitted for publication]. Department of Education, Lehigh University.

Grossbauer, L. A., Bodzin, A.M., Caskie, G.I.L (2023). Calculus Gate: First-Generation Status as Potential Moderator of Associations Among Math Self-Beliefs, High School Math Experience, and Performance on College Math Placement Exams [Manuscript submitted for publication]. Department of Education, Lehigh University.

Grossbauer, L. A. & Bodzin, A.M. (2022). Calculus gate: The impact of self-beliefs and high school math experience upon performance on college math placement exams [Manuscript submitted for publication]. Department of Education, Lehigh University.

Lemmon M, Glass H, Shellhaas RA, Barks MC, Bailey B, Grant K, Grossbauer L, Pawlowski K, Wusthoff CJ, Chang T, Soul J, Chu CJ, Thomas C, Massey SL, Abend NS, Rogers EE, Franck LS; Neonatal Seizure Registry. Parent experience of caring for neonates with seizures. Arch Dis Child Fetal Neonatal Ed. 2020 Nov;105(6):634-639. doi: 10.1136/archdischild-2019-318612. Epub 2020 Jun 5. PMID: 32503792; PMCID: PMC7581607.

Franck LS, Shellhaas RA, Lemmon M, Sturza J, Soul JS, Chang T, Wusthoff CJ, Chu CJ, Massey SL, Abend NS, Thomas C, Rogers EE, McCulloch CE, Grant K, Grossbauer L, Pawlowski K, Glass HC; Neonatal Seizure Registry study group. Associations between Infant and Parent Characteristics and Measures of Family Well-Being in Neonates with Seizures: A Cohort Study. J Pediatr. 2020 Jun;221:64-71.e4. doi: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2020.02.024. PMID: 32446494; PMCID: PMC7336525.

Years of Service to Ursinus

10 years