Abbey received her B.S. in Chemistry and Chemical Oceanography and her M.S. in Environmental Science (Fisheries Biology) from the University of Rhode Island. With over 20 years of experience in both formal and informal education, her past work has included teaching middle school through college-age students along with informal education for learners of all ages. Prior to joining Brown, she was the Executive Director of a non-profit Marine Science and Education Center. In her current role, she is focused on providing experiential STEM learning opportunities to middle and high school students.  In addition, she has been active and held leadership positions in professional organizations/boards focused on informal and formal education and designed and conducted teacher professional development workshops. She currently sits on the board of a tuition-free all girls’ middle school for grade 5-8 students from under-resourced environments.