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Pursuing M.S in Agronomy - Major Professor:Dr. Andy Paterson
Personal and Professional Background
I was born and raised in NYC. I received my B.S. in Biotechnology, and I am continuing my studies in molecular genetics and bioinformatics. I would like to use my background, skills and knowledge to contribute both to crop improvement and to our understanding of how life emerges. I am married and we have two boys, ages 7 and 4.
My wife has worked for about 8 years as a high school science teacher, so my own experience with students has heretofore been vicariously through her. In addition, I had the opportunity to assist her in putting together her master’s thesis, in which she published an inquiry-based earth science module for high school. Thus, I was exposed to that aspect of teaching as well. What I did witness for myself was the tremendous impact of my wife’s work and presence on the students on both academic and personal levels. I can only hope that my work as a GK-12 fellow can even approximate that level of impact on students.
On researching the GK-12 grant opportunity, I was aware of what was possible with students, and I’ve become interested in making this possibility into a viable reality. Inquiry-based science education is not merely some federal mandate or a hot educational topic. It’s really the only way to communicate what it means to “do science” to individuals who may have been exposed to the normal gamut of knowledge gained from the scientific process and have it passed as science itself.
My success as a GK-12 fellow in trying to communicate the science behind the foods we eat may even determine the course of my own career to an extent that is still unknown to me. At the very least, I do appreciate the opportunity to educate students if not make a lasting difference on them.
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