Staff and Teachers

Project Leadership

Joyce Malyn-Smith

Principal Investigator

Joyce Malyn-Smith, project Principal Investigator (PI), is a Distinguished Scholar at EDC and a national expert on STEM career development and workforce education. She leads a body of work that explores how to enhance STEM learning and support people in using their STEM skills, knowledge, and dispositions to pursue productive and rewarding careers. Her projects develop industry/education connections in computational thinking, big data, artificial intelligence (AI), and other advanced technologies. Malyn-Smith’s research focuses on the future of work and its implications for lifelong learning. She investigates the dispositions humans will need as they partner with machines in problem solving, what it means to be human in the age of AI, and the foundational skills K–20 students need to prepare for work at the Human-Technology Frontier. She holds an EdD from Boston University in business/career education and bilingual education leadership.

Joyce Malyn-Smith
Principal Investigator

Joyce Malyn-Smith

Principal Investigator

Irene Lee

Co-Principal Investigator

Irene Lee, project Co-Principal Investigator (co-PI), is a Distinguished Scholar at EDC and a research scientist at MIT’s Scheller Teacher Education Program and The Education Arcade. She is the founder and program director of Project GUTS: Growing Up Thinking Scientifically and Teachers with GUTS. The programs she develops enable participants to create computer models and use them to gain a scientific understanding of the world around them. Lee’s research focuses on students’ and teachers’ understanding of complex adaptive systems and their development of computational thinking skills. She served as the chair of the Computer Science Teachers Association (CSTA) Computational Thinking Task Force and as a lead writer of the K-12 Computer Science Frameworks and the CSTA K-12 Computer Science Standards (of 2011). Lee is a past president of the Supercomputing Challenge and the Swarm Development Group, and was previously the director of the Learning Lab at Santa Fe Institute.

Irene Lee
Co-Principal Investigator

Irene Lee

Co-Principal Investigator

Anne DeMaille

Co-Principal Investigator

Anne DeMaille, project Co-Principal Investigator (co-PI), is the Computer Science and STEM Integration Specialist at the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. In her current role, Anne presents regularly at STEM conferences and workshops, facilitating networking opportunities to ensure that best practices are shared across districts, and actively communicates with stakeholders about the MA Digital Literacy and Computer Science Framework and its implementation. She has held industry positions in aerospace/defense operations and management, financial systems management, and courseware development and also has experience teaching middle school math and science.

Anne DeMaille
Co-Principal Investigator, DESE

Anne DeMaille

Co-Principal Investigator

Jackie DeLisi

Research Lead

Jackie DeLisi, an expert in STEM education research and evaluation, advances knowledge of how to improve STEM learning outcomes in formal and informal settings. She has extensive experience in qualitative research, survey design, and middle school science instruction. She specializes in developing instruments to measure school, teacher, and student outcomes, and to describe the implementation of STEM programs. DeLisi leads the evaluations of the NASA-funded collaboration with the Gulf of Maine Research Institute and of Boston College’s Seeding the Future project. She is currently collaborating with the Boston Plan for Excellence to examine the implementation and outcomes of STEM pathways in an inclusive STEM-focused high school. Recently, DeLisi co-authored an article about how science fairs can support students in meeting science standards as part of her work co-leading the Science Fairs Under the ‘Scope study.

Jackie DeLisi
Research Lead

Jackie DeLisi

Research Lead

Kirsten Peterson

Instructional Designer

Kirsten Peterson, project Professional Development Design Lead, is an expert in online instructional design and interpersonal learning. At EDC she has spent the past two decades creating innovative, effective learning experiences for diverse groups of learners. She brings extensive expertise in managing complex initiatives, facilitating professional learning communities, and scaling and sustaining online learning programs. As co-PI of the National Science Foundation-funded Online Professional Development for Exploring Computer Science (ECS) initiative, Peterson and her colleagues are designing, implementing, and researching capacity-building online professional development for ECS teachers. Nationwide, she has led teams of online curriculum developers, instructors, media developers, and technical specialists in providing custom online development and consulting services for K–12, higher education, cultural institutions, nonprofits, and other organizations. She holds a BA in English Literature from Montana State University and an EdM in Technology in Education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Kirsten Peterson
Professional Development Lead

Kirsten Peterson

Instructional Designer

Heidi Larson

Promotional Lead

Heidi Larson, project Promotional Lead, is a digital education specialist and senior manager at EDC, where she leads initiatives that build capacity to improve learning throughout the lifespan. She specializes in educational technology, training and technical assistance, instructional design, product development, networking and collaboration, professional development, and communications strategy. She leads the Adult Education Professional Development Communication Center for Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, and advances outreach and collaboration efforts for REL Northeast & Islands at EDC. Larson is a co-author of Five Steps for Using Social Media to Build Your Brand and Promote Your Business, and contributed her social media and management expertise to Building Social Media and Social Technology Enabled Professional. She holds an EdM in Technology, Innovation, and Education from Harvard Graduate School of Education, a Certificate in Web Technologies from WPI, and a BA from Colby College.

Heidi Larson
Promotional Lead

Heidi Larson

Promotional Lead

Elizavette Cordero

Project Coordinator

Elizavette Cordero provides a mix of project management, technology, and communications and marketing skills to her position. Cordero assists with the submission of grant proposals, contracts, and provides support on website development, invoicing, tracking and facilitation. She holds a BA in Women’s and Gender Studies and Theater Arts from UMass Boston and a graduate certificate in Youth Development and Social Equity from Boston University. She is passionate about travel and building social equity for Latinx and other people of color through access to education and other vital resources.

Elizavette Cordero
Project Coordinator

Elizavette Cordero

Project Coordinator

Suhina Minocha

Researcher

Suhina Minocha is a researcher at EDC, with a focus on STEM education and workforce development. She has classroom experience teaching high school science and literacy, along with teacher professional development for new teachers and school leaders. She brings her background in science education and corporate engineering to support the Science+C curricular development and research activities at EDC. She holds a B.Sc. in Biomedical Engineering from Boston University, and an M.Sc. in International Educational Development from the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education.

Suhina Minocha
Researcher

Suhina Minocha

Researcher

Paula B. Moore

Paula B. Moore
DLCS Program Coordinator, DESE

Paula B. Moore

Beatriz Peret

Beatriz Peret
Professional Development Designer

Beatriz Peret

David Reider

Evaluator

David Reider, project Evaluator, has been very active both in developing, promoting, designing and evaluating educational initiatives efforts in STEM and arts education for over 20 years. While Research Scientist at BBN Tehcnologies, he led World Band (US, Germany, Korea), one of the earliest Internet instances of a cross-site internet concert (1995), OLMEL, Online Music Education Learning Model (1997), and Kids ‘N Music (Kids ‘N Blues, Kids ‘N Salsa), developed for Co-nect schools in five states. Kids ‘N Blues (Memphis) was nominated to the President’s Council on the Arts and Humanities 1998 National Report of Best Practices and won the National School Board Association 1998 Technology Innovation Award.

He has participated in and led program evaluations since 1996, founding Education Design in 1997. He has presented annually since 2005 at national conferences such as AERA, AEA, Massachusetts STEM Summit, NSF and Dept of Education PI meetings; participates regularly in panel reviews (NSF, Dept. of Education I3, AEMDD), and is active in national working groups on workforce development and systems thinking in evaluation.

David Reider
Evaluator

David Reider

Evaluator

Design Team & Facilitators

Our Design Team is comprised of a skilled group of professionals with combined experience developing curriculum for and teaching high school Biology, Chemistry, and Physics, as well as Computer Science and Computational Modeling.

Rachelle Beauchesne

Rachelle Beauchesne

Rachelle Beauchesne

Stephanie Beauregard

Stephanie Beauregard is a chemistry teacher at Las Cruces High School in Las Cruces, NM. She has her degree in chemistry and for the past six years has taught biology, anatomy/physiology, chemistry, and AP chemistry. Incorporating programming into her chemistry classes has been a significant focus of Stephanie’s teaching.

Stephanie Beauregard

Stephanie Beauregard

Kristen Bjork

Kristen Bjork, an instructional design expert and EDC senior manager, creates authentic, engaging, and innovative learning experiences for students of all ages and backgrounds. She has deep expertise in K–12 education, STEM, technology integration, product development, and R&D. Bjork leads content development for the Amgen Biotech Experience, an innovative science education program that has reached 700,000 students. For over a decade, she has led EDC’s work as instructional design partner for SAE International’s award-winning A World In Motion® program and for many other SAE curricula.

Kristen Bjork

Kristen Bjork

Mary Brunson

Mary Brunson is a biology teacher at Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School in Sudbury, Massachusetts. She majored in Biological Resources Engineering at University of Maryland College Park and received her master’s degree in Cellular and Molecular Physiology from Yale University. She is a self-taught coder and is excited to find a way to bring coding into her Biology classroom!

Mary Brunson

Mary Brunson

Blair Cochran

I teach Physics both at Melrose High School and for Virtual high School. This is my 27th year teaching high school physics. What has made it possible is my fellow teacher wife understanding the weirdness that is a physics teacher.

Blair Cochran

Blair Cochran

Lesley Dimond

Lesley is a graduate of Simmons College and the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. She is the science department head and a teacher at Marshfield HS in Marshfield MA. She has been a department head for 13 years a teacher for 30 years. Lesley teaches Biology and Forensic Science (plus other areas as needed). She works hard to ensure the curriculum is available to all students and works hard to implement a positive culture within her department and her classrooms.

Lesley Dimond

Lesley Dimond

Susan Gibbs

Su Gibbs is a National Board Certified Teacher with over a decade of middle school teaching experience. She has experience teaching, facilitating, and serving as a club leader for Project GUTS (Growing Up Thinking Scientifically) and is also involved with GutsyGirls, Code.org, NM Computer Science for All, and NM Supercomputing. Prior to her teaching career, Su was an attorney with the NM Public Defender Department.

Susan Gibbs

Susan Gibbs

Cedric Jacobson

Cedric is a science teacher at Brooke High School in Boston, MA. He has been teaching since 2009, and formerly taught in Dallas, TX and New Haven, CT. He has a robust background in curricular development and departmental leadership, and currently leads a team of great science teachers at Brooke. Cedric is always looking for opportunities to learn & engage with new methods of teaching, and is excited to be a part of this program.

Cedric Jacobson

Cedric Jacobson

Jessica Leach

Jessica is a physics teacher at Marshfield High School with over 10 years of experience mainly teaching Physics (and 2 years teaching English abroad). Having worked on a couple of research projects and with many students interested in STEAM, she is excited to connect the world of Coding with that of Physics to help students expand their horizons and prepare for future careers.

Jessica Leach

Jessica Leach

Rebekah Marchilena

Rebekah is a physics and chemistry teacher at Norton High School in Norton, Ma.  She currently teaches Introductory Physics, Honors, Chemistry, CP Forensic Science, and Honors Forensic Science.  She was a Deaf educator for 20 years, has been in the public schools for the past three, and is looking forward to incorporating coding and modeling into her classes.

Rebekah Marchilena

Rebekah Marchilena

Nina Markham

Nina is a science teacher at Hatch Valley High School in Las Cruces, NM. She currently teaches grades 9-12 Chemistry, Biology, and Physical Science. Having taught robotics and coding classes in the past, she is excited to integrate the world of coding with Science.

Nina Markham

Nina Markham

Victor Mateas

Victor Mateas brings both teaching and research expertise to Science+C. He has taught mathematics, physics, chemistry, and biology at the high school level. Victor has also worked on several research projects focused on curriculum and professional development.

Victor Mateas

Victor Mateas

Loren Messina

Loren Messina is committed to student access and success in STEM education. As a 1995 graduate of Northeastern University and a 2005 graduate of Fitchburg State University, she holds a BS in Biology and a MA in Teaching Biology. Loren has been teaching science for the past 18 years. She is currently serving as the Science Department Chair and a biology instructor at North Middlesex Regional High School.

Loren Messina

Loren Messina

Paige Prescott

Paige Prescott has been involved in Computer Science education for more than twelve years when she was Program Manager for Project GUTS, an NSF funded project to bring computational modeling to middle school students. Currently she is the Executive Director of the Computer Science Alliance where she works to strengthen the community of people involved computer science education and to advocate on a state, district and local level to see more computer science offerings, especially to the underserved areas in rural and tribal communities. She also helps to oversee the Supercomputing Challenge, a yearlong computational competition for middle and high school students in New Mexico. She has been the President of the Computer Science Teachers Association of New Mexico (CSTA-NM) since 2015 and is pursuing a PhD in Learning Sciences at UNM where she is focusing on computer science education with a particular interest in how computer science can be integrated into science classes.

Paige Prescott

Paige Prescott

Maria Annichina Riolo

Maria Annichina Riolo is the Omidyar Postdoctoral Fellow at the Santa Fe Institute in Santa Fe, NM. She is an applied mathematician who has been doing freelance consulting for the past 15 years. Past consulting projects have included helping people implement their conceptual models, analyze their data, and develop software packages to streamline their data processing pipeline. Maria also specializes in cellular automaton based knitting patterns.

Maria Annichina Riolo

Maria Annichina Riolo

Connor Rooney

Connor teaches physics at Waltham High School in Waltham MA. Having coached the robotics team for the past 7 years, he is excited to be working on initiatives to get all students more comfortable around computer science an coding.

Connor Rooney

Connor Rooney

Lynn Sa

Lynn is a physics teacher at Abby Kelley Foster Charter Public High School in Worcester, MA. Lynn began her career as an electrical engineer for IBM in semiconductor research and development. After sixteen years, Lynn left IBM to pursue her dream to teach physics to future engineers. She now teaches four levels of physics including Project-Based Physics and International Baccalaureate Physics.

Lynn Sa

Lynn Sa

Camilla Sise

Camilla is a high school science teacher with over 14 years of experience and dual certification in physics and mathematics. She has taught in international schools in Brazil and China and is currently teaching high school physics in Western Massachusetts.

Camilla Sise

Camilla Sise

Natalie Stassen

Advisory Committee

A strong advisory committee helps shape our ongoing work. These committee members serve as critical friends, vetting relevant resources, providing critical feedback on course content and pedagogy, and guiding strategic decisions throughout the project.

Mark Hannum
American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT)

Dr. Fred Martin
CS Education, University of Massachusetts Lowell

Jadrion Miles
Computational Scientist/Mathematician, YouTube

Venerable Tenzin Priyadarshi
Director Ethics Initiative,
MIT Media Lab

Dr. Aman Yadav
Educational Psychology,
Michigan State University

Uri Wilenski
Learning Scientist, CS,
Northwestern University

Alumni Teachers

These Science+C teachers participated in yearlong professional development, implemented units in their classrooms, and collaborated with the project Design and Development Team to refine the Biology+C, Chemistry+C, and Physics+C curriculum for wider implementation. Science+C is stronger thanks to their effort and input!

Mercy Adoma Fosu
(Chemistry+C)

Mercy Adoma Fosu

Rebecca Alvarado-Alcantar
(Chemistry+C)

Rebecca Alvarado-Alcantar

Rebecca is a special education teacher in the science department at Onate High School in Las Cruces, NM. Becky is fairly new to using computer science in her classes and is committed to trying to bring real-world models to her students. Becky recently completed her doctoral studies in Special Education with a focus area in Online Learning and Students with Disabilities from New Mexico State University. She hopes to help bridge accessibility and usability gaps for students with disabilities in the online classroom.

Leha Andres
(Physics+C)

Leha Andres

Leha is a science teacher at Centennial High School in Las Cruces, NM. Leha has worked with students of all grade levels throughout her career both in the classroom and outside to integrate earth and physical sciences for nearly eight years. She teaches 9^th-12^th grade biology, chemistry, and physics. Her background is in natural resources and environmental science and she hopes to spearhead a conservation club in NM similar to her ecology club in Goldsboro, NC.

Carolyn Armitage
(Biology+C)

Carolyn Armitage

Sherrie Bain
(Biology+C)

Sherrie Bain

Sherrie is a microbiologist and educator. She is a consultant microbiologist in the biotech industry, teaches freshman biology at Lawrence High School, and has a passion for technology integration in STEM curriculum. Sherrie completed her B.S. degree in Biology at The University of Tampa and an M.S degree in Microbiology from Texas A&M University.

Rachelle Beauchesne
(Physics+C)

Rachelle Beauchesne

Alexis Berry
(Chemistry+C)

Alexis Berry

Marianne Bezaire
(Biology+C)

Marianne Bezaire

Michael Bilica
(Physics+C)

Michael Bilica

Jody Bird
(Biology+C)

Jody Bird

Jody has taught biology for over 20 years at the University Park Campus School in Worcester Massachusetts. In addition to teaching Biology, she also currently teaches a middle school computer science class and AP Computer Science Principles. She is very excited to integrate computational thinking into her biology classes.

Andrew Bowersox
(Chemistry+C)

Andrew Bowersox

Andy is a high school science teacher with 20 years of public service and dual certification in biology and chemistry. He currently teaches all levels of chemistry and an elective course he created called SustainableEnergy at Greenfield High School, in Greenfield Massachusetts.

Tyler Brown
(Physics+C)

Tyler Brown

Tyler is a Physics teacher at Brookline High School in Brookline, MA. He has taught 9th grade Introductory Physics since 2008 and AP Physics C since 2013. Since his time in Purdue University’s Physics Department for his undergraduate studies, he’s been convinced that the integration of computing with physics is vital for 21st century learners. He’s also working to integrate science + computing with the Culturally Responsive Pedagogy training that he does with the pre-service science teachers that he works with from local Boston universities and national groups like Knowles and Noyce Scholars.

Mary Brunson
(Biology+C)

Mary Brunson

Guadalupe Castillo
(Biology+C)

Guadalupe Castillo

Guadalupe Castillo is an Honors Biology & Pre-Medical Pathway Teacher at Las Cruces (NM) High School. Guadalupe has worked with English Language Learners by teaching and coordinating the Summer Academy Program. Guadalupe is also a Co-Advisor for the school’s HOSA chapter for students interested in health occupations. In the Spring of 2020, Guadalupe received a Master’s Degree in Education with an emphasis on Instructional Technology and Design.

William Chan
(Physics+C)

William Chan

Blair Cochran
(Physics+C)

Blair Cochran

Dawn Comproni
(Biology+C)

Dawn Comproni

Adam Cutler
(Chemistry+C)

Adam Cutler

Adam teaches at Dennis-Yarmouth Regional High School in South Yarmouth MA. He has taught there for 14 years and holds certifications in high school chemistry, biology, and earth science. In those 14 years, he has taught courses in all three subjects, but is focused on chemistry. In the coming school year, he will be teaching all levels of chemistry and a section of Marine Science.

Deborah Darlington
(Physics+C)

Deborah Darlington

Deborah is entering her 20th year of teaching. Over her career she has taught Biology, Physics, Zoology, Astronomy, and Marine Science, and will take on AP Environmental Science this year. She is looking forward to learning a new skill set in Physics+C and sharing it with her students.

Wini Dillon
(Biology+C)

Wini Dillon

Wini is a second-career teacher. She did basic science research in neuroanatomy, clinical research in lasers and ophthalmology, and clinical and regulatory studies for two medical device companies in her first career. She have 4 children and a wonderful husband. She has been teaching biology at Stoughton High School for 15 years. She was motivated to participate in the Science +C program because it involved a new perspective in education, presented in the format of an educational study.

Lesley Dimond
(Biology+C)

Lesley Dimond

Jill Downer
(Biology+C)

Jill Downer

Michele Doyle
Biology+C

Michele Doyle

I am a high school Science teacher at Northeast Metro Tech, a vocational school located in Wakefield, MA. I enjoy teaching Biology and various electives within our diverse community.

Crystal Dufresne
(Biology+C)

Crystal Dufresne

Crystal is a science teacher at Granby Jr./Sr. High School in Granby, Massachusetts. She currently teaches grades 9-12 Biology, Anatomy & Physiology, and Environmental Science. Having never taught a coding class or taken one herself, she is excited to integrate the world of Coding with Science.

Emily Flanagan
(Physics+C)

Emily Flanagan

Bobbie Jo Fossberg
(Biology+C)

Bobbie Jo Fossberg

Bobbie is a 9th-12th grade Special Education science teacher with Las Cruces High School in Las Cruces, NM. She is currently teaching Biology, Chemistry, and Physics in both Inclusion and Pull-Out settings. Having a strong background and degrees in Agriculture, Bobbie Jo likes to incorporate her passion for Ag in the classroom to include egg to chick projects, composting, worm beds, and the occasional farm animal sighting.

Kristine Fox
(Biology+C)

Kristine Fox

Victoria Frietze
(Biology+C)

Victoria Frietze

Victoria is a Special Education (SPED) Science teacher at Onate High School in Las Cruces, NM. She is currently teaching Biology and Chemistry.

Kelly Getto
(Chemistry+C)

Kelly Getto

Kelly has been mainly teaching Chemistry and Forensics at Chicopee Comprehensive High School in Chicopee, MA since 2009. She is 100% new to any programming, but she’s always looking for interesting and exciting ways to teach her students!

Matthew Gorr
(Physics+C)

Matthew Gorr

Tina Grammel
(Biology+C)

Tina Grammel

High school science teacher working in a small therapeutic day program for the past 13 years. I’m the only science teacher, working with students who all have IEPs. Coding intimidates me but I wanted to push my comfort level, something I stress to my students all the time.

Dana Gronbeck
(Physics+C)

Dana Gronbeck

Noa HaLevi
(Chemistry+C)

Noa HaLevi

Noa is a science teacher at Framingham High School in Framingham, MA. She currently teaches two levels of high school chemistry. Having taking courses implementing scientific coding models in college, Noa is excited to learn how to teach this topic in high school.

Erin Hobbs
(Biology+C)

Erin Hobbs

Erin teaches 9th grade biology, aquaponics and environmental field studies at Newburyport High School. She is also the Instructional Leader for the Science and Technology program. As her department works to expand and improve the integration of engineering and technology skills into regular science courses, she is excited to participate in the Science+C program as an opportunity to accomplish that goal.

Kayla Hodge
(Physics+C)

Kayla Hodge

Cedric Jacobson
(Chemistry+C)

Cedric Jacobson

Rose Joseph
(Chemistry+C)

Rose Joseph

David Kalpin
(Chemistry+C)

David Kalpin

David is a science teacher at Woburn Memorial High School in Woburn, MA. He currently teaches grades 10-12 Chemistry and has also taught various courses in Mathematics as well as Physics. David has been involved in education for 40 years. Having taught coding classes in the past as well as working for a science & math simulation software company, he is excited to integrate the world of Coding with Science.

Kimberly Kamborian
(Physics+C)

Kimberly Kamborian

Shaun Kelly
(Physics+C)

Shaun Kelly

Shaun is a high school science teacher with 28 years of public service with a certification in physics. He has taught all levels of physics as well as environmental science, and is excited to bring a coding aspect to his classes.

Marlene King
(Physics+C)

Marlene King

Marlene is a physics teacher at Wilmington High School in Wilmington, MA. She teaches 11^th-12^th grade physics, including AP, Honors and CP level. She is also a mentor to the WHS Robotics Team and the advisor to the Engineering Club.

Mark Knapp
(Biology+C)

Mark Knapp

Mark Knapp is a 9th MYP Biology teacher for full-inclusion classroom in Boston Public Schools (JQUS).

Nicholas Kostich
(Chemistry+C)

Nicholas Kostich

Peter Kovach
(Physics+C)

Peter Kovach

Jessica Leach
(Physics+C)

Jessica Leach

Kerry Lynch
(Biology+C)

Kerry Lynch

Tooba Mansoor
(Biology+C)

Tooba Mansoor

Rebekah Marchilena
(Chemistry+C)

Rebekah Marchilena

Nina FL Markham
(Chemistry+C)

Nina FL Markham

Douglas Matute-Lainez
(Physics+C)

Douglas Matute-Lainez

Loren Messina
(Biology+C)

Loren Messina

Jill Moran
(Biology+C)

Jill Moran

Jill teaches 9th grade Biology and 10-12th grade Anatomy Physiology at Newburyport High School.  She has been teaching for 12 years and is also the advisor for the Interact Club, a community service club.  She is looking forward to enhancing her teaching skills by participating in Science+C.

Marcelle Morgan
(Biology+C)

Marcelle Morgan

Marcelle is a high school and middle school teacher focusing on life, earth, and environmental science. She is aware of how little she understands programming/computer modeling, and yet is very excited and quite nervous to learn something completely unfamiliar to her–and willing to take the leap!

John O'Donnell
(Physics+C)

John O'Donnell

John is a physics and pre-engineering teacher at Pathfinder Regional Vocational Technical High School in Palmer, MA. John began his career as an analytical chemist at Battelle New England Marine Research Laboratory. After returning to complete a Ph.D. in physical chemistry at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, he was a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Connecticut School of Pharmacy as a biophysicist in the Medicinal Chemistry division. Following a brief stint as a biophysicist – analyst at Restoragen, a company developing biopharmaceuticals, he left to pursue a teaching career at Pathfinder. He teaches C.P. Physics and Project Lead the Way engineering courses.

George O'Meara
(Physics+C)

George O'Meara

George is a science teacher at the Community Academy of Science and Health in Boston, Massachusetts. As a teacher of Honors, Substantially Separate, Inclusion and SEI/ESL Physics classes, he is eager to collaborate with a diverse group of students as they explore Physics concepts by decoding and modifying computer models.

Jacqueline Pigeon Martinez
(Physics+C)

Jacqueline Pigeon Martinez

Jacquie is a science teacher at Norton High School with dual certification in Physics and Chemistry. Having recently taken computer science classes (for fun) in her spare time, Jacquie is excited to integrate Physics+C into her classroom to help support students’ computational thinking.

Corinne Polucha
(Biology+C)

Corinne Polucha

Corinne teaches Biology and IB Sports, Exercise, and Health Science at Abby Kelley Foster Charter Public School in Worcester, MA. She is also the Science Department Head and is entering her tenth year of teaching.

Thara Rangarraj
(Chemistry+C)

Thara Rangarraj

Thara teaches Chemistry, AP Chemistry, Environmental Science, and Biology in the Leominster, MA Public Schools. She has a MS in Organic Chemistry from Worcester Polytechnic Institute where her graduate research focused on photo irradiation of Imidazoles.

Stacy-Michelle Reid
(Physics+C)

Stacy-Michelle Reid

Stacy-Michelle is a Physics teacher at Madison Park Technical Vocational High School in Boston, MA. She began her career as a Construction Project Engineer, served time in the Army, owned a coffee shop in Seattle, and managed coffee shops in Philadelphia before she transitioned into teaching. Miss Reid has been teaching math and science in Boston Public Schools for over 15 years, specializing in Physics, Chemistry, and Environmental Science.

Natalie Reno
(Chemistry+C)

Natalie Reno

Natalie is a science teacher at Las Cruces High School in Las Cruces, NM. She teaches biology and chemistry and was previously the science magnet teacher at Sierra Middle School, where she was able to show students the real life application of science by working closely with scientists in the area. She has her Master’s degree in curriculum planning and development.

Susan Reyes
(Chemistry+C)

Susan Reyes

Susan has taught science at Paulo Freire Social Justice Charter School since 2018, including biology, chemistry and environmental science. She holds a Masters of Education from UMass Amherst in science education, and MA teaching certifications in high school biology, Middle school general science, and also visual arts at all grades. In her free time, besides relaxing with family, Susan likes to create art and spend time outdoors, growing food, and supporting pollinators and other wildlife through native plants and preserved spaces. She volunteers with Western MA Master Gardeners Association. Her artwork includes pottery and sculpture in clay, as well as landscape and abstract painting.

Connor Rooney
(Physics+C)

Connor Rooney

Lynn Sa
Physics+C

Lynn Sa

Donald Schoener
(Biology+C)

Donald Schoener

Don has been teaching at Rising Tide Charter Public School for the past five years. He currently teaches Chemistry, Biology, and Environmental Science. He has also developed Marine Biology, Ecology Lab Technique, and Fisheries electives.

Ian Selig
(Physics+C)

Ian Selig

Ian is a science teacher at University Park Campus School in Worcester, MA. He currently teaches physics and chemistry, and is excited to get students interested in coding and computer science as a tool for the physical sciences.

Kate Shara
(Biology+C)

Kate Shara

Camilla Sise
(Physics+C)

Camilla Sise

Natalie Stassen
(Biology+C)

Kate Stoica
(Physics+C)

Kate Stoica

Kate became a teacher because she hopes to inspire curiosity and a love of learning in her students. She currently teaches various levels of chemistry and physics in addition to being a PBIS Tier 1 coach at Southbridge High School, and is excited to integrate coding into her curricula.

Alyssa Tausevich
(Biology+C)

Benjamin Vanderpuljeb
(Chemistry+C)

Benjamin Vanderpuljeb

Rachel Voss
(Chemistry+C)

Rachel Voss

Logan Walsh
(Chemistry+C)

Logan Walsh

Lisa Ward
(Biology+C)

Lisa Ward

Susan West
(Biology+C)

Susan West

Susan has been teaching science at Barnstable High School on Cape Cod for 29 years. She currently teaches Biology and Project Lead The Way Engineering Classes. She is an advisor to the VEX Robotics and Girls in STEM clubs and is interested in helping more students learn about coding.

Dawna Wierzbowski
(Biology+C)

Dawna Wierzbowski

Kate Wooley
(Physics+C)

Kate Wooley

Kate is a 9th grade physics teacher at Brookline High School. She thrives teaching within the large team of dedicated, talented teachers at BHS. She is a Knowles Teaching Fellow and much of her passion for inclusive teaching practices comes from her training and inquiry work alongside other Knowles fellows and staff. She came to teaching from a background in experimental physics research and sees computational thinking as a pathway to integrate more science research practices into her classroom.

Hana Yahya
(Biology+C)

Hana Yahya

Hana is an ELL science teacher at High School of Science and Technology in Springfield Massachusetts. She currently teaches grades 9-10 Biology, and Environmental science. She is excited to integrate the world of Coding with Science.

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