Brian Kinghorn

Christian, Educator/Teacher, Entrepreneur, Explorer, Parent, Performer, Photographer, World traveler, Writer/Editor

Dr. Kinghorn is an Associate Professor of Undergraduate Teacher Education at Marshall University and former Director of the National Youth Science Camp (2019-2023). He is also the lead organizer and licensee for TEDxMarshallU. He was also a speaker at TEDxOshkosh in 2023. He earned his PhD in Educational Psychology and Educational Technology from Michigan State University in 2013. Dr. Kinghorn been conducting inquiry-based extra-curricular science programs and science assemblies and conducting both formal and informal teacher professional development since 2002. Throughout his career he has presented week-long science camps and other programs through the U.S. and abroad. While at Marshall he has worked with the June Harless Center to conduct outdoor-education professional development for elementary teachers throughout West Virginia; certified as a facilitator for both Project WET and Project Learning Tree and serves on the state steering committee for the latter; and served on a number of working committees with West Virginia State Superintendent’s office focused on creating and validating the state elementary science standards and assessments. Dr. Kinghorn’s areas of research include ways teachers learn science from their own teaching practice, methods for effective teaching, and the psychology of social media. His family is very important to him. Dr. Kinghorn and his wife Leah are happily married with seven children. Of all his accomplishments he’s most proud to be a husband and father.

Travel, photography, hiking, teaching, being a dad

Educational Psychology, Educational Technology, Inquiry Education, Psychology, Psychology of Social Media, Science Education

In November 2018 Marshall University’s student body president asked me to co-organize an inaugural TEDxMarshallUniversity event with a planning committee of mostly students. I was concerned about how little time we had to plan it, but I quickly discerned that these students were highly motivated and willing to put in the work needed to host a successful event. We did not receive final word on our license until mid-February 2019 and our event was held the first weekend of May, which meant we literally put the whole event together in 10 weeks. Working with students was challenging at times because they often don’t yet realize that “you don’t know what you don’t know.” Thankfully, other university faculty, staff, and administrators helped us avert (or at least mitigate the negative effects of) obstacles and challenges we hadn’t expected. Although it sometimes felt like chaos behind the scenes, the actual event was phenomenal. Everyone I have spoken to about the event had good things to say, and people kept asking when the next event would be. As an educator, I anticipated and then saw immense value in the experience for the student organizing committee, our attendees, and the university community as a whole. Our 2020 TEDxMarshallU event was on March 14, just as the world was shutting down for COVID-19 and we pivoted to a hybrid virtual event in just 3 days broadcasting with a small audience of speakers’ family members and our team. I know organize TEDxMarshallU with groups of Honors students at Marshall University taking an Honors Experiential Learning Internship Course. We’re planning our 6th event for Feb 27, 2024. I'm also thrilled that Kathleen McAuliffe's talk on how our gut bacteria impact our mental health and personality from our 2023 event became an official TED talk in January 2024.

Singing