College of Natural Sciences Staff Spotlight: Dylan Kirklin
Posted: February 10, 2025 | Author: Southern Utah University | Read Time: 3 minutes
Dylan Kirklin is a valued staff member of the College of Natural Sciences and serves as the Director of the SUU STEM Center for Teaching & Learning. The STEM Center is SUU’s preeminent preK-12 outreach organization and makes over 20,000 contacts each year with the community in the areas of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. In this role, Dylan oversees a team of six professional staff and dozens of students who collaborate to make the magic happen.
Dylan originally came to the SUU campus in the fall of 2013 to begin work on a bachelor’s degree. After completing a degree in elementary education, Dylan worked for several years as a K-12 teacher, during which he also completed a master's degree in educational leadership here at SUU. Dylan was hired into his current position in 2022, becoming the first full-time director of the SUU STEM Center.
As an award-winning elementary school educator (2017 Southern Utah University’s Pestalozzi Award Winner - Elementary Education & 2018 Utah Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development’s Teacher of Tomorrow Award), Mr. Kirklin was known for his hands-on and experiential approach to teaching and learning. A favorite among students, Dylan’s transition from full-time teacher to full-time STEM administrator was not an easy one for him. However, Dylan still gets to keep up his chops as a teacher as he spends lots of time in classrooms all over southern Utah doing assemblies, demonstrations, and activities with learners of all ages.
While no aspect of the STEM Center escapes Dylan’s attention, he has had several pet projects during his time as director. He is the director of the Southern Utah Science & Engineering Fair, which is part of an international network of similar fairs sponsored by Regeneron, and is the founder and director of the Southern Utah STEM Awards, an annual event to recognize STEM educators and leaders from around southern Utah. Dylan was also responsible for a traveling air and space exhibit that consisted of artifacts, equipment, photos, and other items related to space travel. This exhibit toured southern Utah libraries and inspired hundreds of visitors to learn more about space and space travel.
Currently, Dylan and his team are working on two large projects, along with all the normal outreach, tutoring, equipment lending, and other work they do. First, the STEM Center has taken on the management of the Frehner Museum of Natural History here at SUU. Along with the help of a newly hired museum manager, they are working diligently to update exhibits, increase visibility, and make much-needed repairs. Additionally, Dylan recently helped to author a grant application that will allow for the purchase of a mobile STEM laboratory. This custom-built vehicle will take SUU STEM Center programming on the road around the state. We are excited about this increased visibility and the impact this project will have on learners around the state.
Away from campus, Dylan and his wife are the parents of three beautiful children aged eight months, and five and eight years old. Dylan’s hobbies include building models of all kinds, working and tinkering on old tech like cassette decks, and listening to music. We are certainly grateful for Dylan’s leadership. The STEM Center is in great hands!
Tags: College of Natural Sciences Career and Professional Development CurStu
