Lauren Kaupp is the director of the University of Hawai‘i STEM Pre-Academy, which fosters student interest, engagement, and learning in STEM by connecting University of Hawai‘i STEM research and innovation with K–12 classrooms.  

In her second semester of college, Kaupp started working at the Chemistry Tutorial Center at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), and has been involved in STEM education ever since. Her interest in science education deepened while in graduate school at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa (UHM), through volunteering at outreach events and at the Waikīkī Aquarium. Kaupp then taught high school chemistry and physics at the University Laboratory School, as well as science enrichment courses for elementary and middle school students.  

In addition to classroom teaching and informal education, Kaupp was involved in collaborative curriculum development in Marine Science and Physics in the College of Education at UHM. Over the course of her career, she has also provided hundreds of presentations and professional development sessions for teachers, administrators, and other educators, on topics including scientific inquiry, the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), curriculum, assessment, and Federal regulatory requirements and compliance.  

Kaupp has an interest in educational leadership, policy, and planning. At the State of Hawai‘i Department of Education, Kaupp provided strategic leadership in NGSS adoption and implementation, helped to develop a state-level Curriculum Management System and Instructional Materials Approval Process, and created the framework for a newly adopted Federal program.

Kaupp earned a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from UMBC, a Master of Science in Oceanography from UHM, and a Doctorate of Education in Educational Leadership from the University of Southern California.