Education

Media Lab, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Cambridge, Massachusetts, June 1998 - May 2001
Ph.D. degree in Media Arts and Sciences. Advisor: Mitchel Resnick, Lifelong Kindergarten Group. Developed and tested student and teacher materials for StarLogo, a programmable-modeling environment that enables explorations in complex, self-organizing systems.
Thesis title: "Creating a Modeling Culture: Supporting the Development of Scientific Practice Among Teachers."

June 1996 - June 1998
Master of Science degree in Media Arts Sciences awarded June 1998. Advisor: Mitchel Resnick, Epistemology and Learning Group. Worked on Participatory Simulations, computer-supported activities that enable people to experience and explore "life-sized" systems. Member of the design team for the Virtual Fishtank.
Thesis title: "Participatory Simulations: Building Collaborative Understanding through Immersive Dynamic Modeling."

CCT, Teachers College, Columbia University

New York, January 1995 - May 1996
Masters degree in Communications, Computing and Technology awarded May, 1996. Identified methods for development and integration of digital technologies and resources in educational settings. Connected classrooms to the internet, developed curricular materials that utilized online resources, real data sets, and simulation tools. Research Assistant in the Institute for Learning Technologies. Creator of Discovery Web, an interactive, modular Web site for science education, and coordinator of all science related development. Formative evaluator for an undergraduate course that utilized advanced technologies and learning teams to build an augmented reality testbed. Pursued research on the climate of public policy surrounding K-12 access to the internet.

Teach For America

Los Angeles, California, June 1990 - August 1990
Charter corps member of Teach For America, a program designed to eradicate teacher shortages in economically deprived neighborhoods and implement multicultural education in predominantly minority communities. Participated in intensive summer training program at the University of Southern California. Completed eleven credits in education courses and taught tenth grade Biology at Wilson High School in East Los Angeles.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Cambridge, Massachusetts
Bachelor of Science degree in Biology awarded June, 1990. Background in genetics, biochemistry, molecular biology and organic chemistry. Participant in the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program under the direction of Dr. Alexander Rich; researched the conformational properties of Z-DNA. Humanities concentration in Psychology.

Dwight School

New York, September 1994-June 1995
Conceptualized the Center for Educational Progress, a group whose mission included designing and producing technology-enabled educational materials for K-12 schools. Conducted study with Allison Druin through the Courant Institute at New York University on the implementation of technological resources in science classrooms both in New York City and around the country. Taught International Baccalaureate Biology to eleventh and twelfth grade students. Conceived and led an ecology expedition for high school students through the rain forests of Costa Rica.
September 1993 - September 1994
Instructed students, teachers and administrators in effective multidisciplinary technology implementation. Designed interactive biology curriculum and reviewed software for a number of educational software producers. Biology teacher for tenth, eleventh and twelfth grade students. Founder of World for Teenagers, an innovative athletic program which adds another dimension to girls' education, teaching them about exercise and simultaneously encouraging development of both physical fortitude and strength of character.
September 1991 - September 1993
Biology teacher for seventh, tenth and twelfth grade students. Taught the Advanced Placement Biology course and the eleventh grade chemistry course. Integrated interactive video in science classes. Coached intramural squash club.

Rockefeller University

New York, June 1992 - June 1994
Researched efficacy of bone marrow and cord blood transplants in patients afflicted with Fanconi Anemia. Exported laboratory techniques, results and philosophies to high school classes both by altering existing lesson structures and bringing in professors from Rockefeller to teach high school classes and conduct seminars. Exposed students to the realm of professional science by arranging high school internships and visiting laboratories where students performed sophisticated experiments in molecular biology.

Dr. Susan S. McKinney Junior High School

Brooklyn, New York, September 1990 - June 1991
Seventh and eighth grade Science Teacher in the Institute of Science and Technology sub-school. Instructed two hundred students in Life Science and Earth Science. Coordinated science and health fairs and initiated an eight week environmental education program in Prospect Park. Active participant in Parent Outreach Program aimed at increasing family involvement and improving student achievement.

Morningside-Westside Bulletin

New York, January 1995 - Present
Co-founder of the Morningside-Westside Bulletin, an organization comprised of psychiatrists, psychiatric patients, citizens at large, and high school students that publishes a monthly newsletter addressing social issues relating to mental health. The whole MWB team--doctors, patients, students, and volunteers--work collaboratively to publish the newsletter, and plans are in place to develop a World Wide Web site. MWB has a circulation of 5,000 and in addition to its general informational aims also seeks to be an advocate for patients and their rights.

World for Teenagers

New York, October 1993-February 1995
Founder of World for Teenagers, an innovative athletic program developed with the resources of a private school, which extended benefits to neighboring public school children. World for Teenagers provided an opportunity for citizens to volunteer to teach girls aerobics, karate, modern dance, and weight lifting, simultaneously encouraging girls to development both physical fortitude and strength of character. Brought together public and private school children in a relaxed setting that was open to any community member without regard to affiliation.

BT Fellow. Awarded a Proclamation for Outstanding Community Service from the City Council of New York, Certificates of Merit from New York State Assembly, and recognition from New York State Senate for a year of service to the mentally ill community through participation on the editorial board of the Morningside Westside Bulletin, December, 1995. Science Outreach Fellow and grant recipient, June 1992. Teacher of the Month Award from the School Improvement Committee at JHS 265, December, 1990.

Background

Graduated from high school in three years with an International Baccalaureate diploma. Member, house manager, and treasurer of Delta Psi fraternity at MIT. Tutor at the East Harlem Tutorial Program in New York City. Active amateur weight lifter. Training for my first triathlon. Enjoy opera, photography, running, and world travel. Spent time in Indonesia, Belize, and Costa Rica. Studying Italian.

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