Finding Your Path in the Sciences: A Teacher’s Perspective

By Ross Middleton

If not for an aquarium in New Jersey, Laura Dewan might not have found her way to a career teaching science—or to the classrooms of CTD.

Biology Beginnings

“I just fell in love with marine life,” Dewan says of her time at the aquarium, where she enlightened crowds of more than 100 on topics of local aquatic life while still a teenager. Jobs as a sea camp counselor and a beach-nesting-bird biologist followed, as did graduate school in Hawaii, where she studied zoology and was named a National Science Foundation Graduate STEM Fellow in Grades K-12 Education. This fellowship encouraged Dewan’s inventiveness, and soon she was leading students and teachers on nighttime plankton hunts. Her creative approach to instruction would become a hallmark of her classes, regardless of format or grade level.

Science at Every Grade

Young students, Laura Dewan finds, are often more “fanciful and imaginative with what they would like to learn, which is really lovely.” She offers advice for burgeoning scientists at the early grades:

“Read everything you can about the field, write down your ideas, get outside, and make observations! Visit some zoos, aquariums, and museums. If it’s at all possible, try to visit a lab and talk to real working scientists. Take any opportunity you can to talk to scientists – they are normal humans and usually REALLY excited to share information about their life’s work. Ask them what they study, what they’ve found so far, and what they do all day long.”

Older students often seek a deeper understanding. She urges these students to explore their interests thoroughly to clarify their passions and values:

“Think about who you are – do you have focus and drive? Do you like to solve challenging problems? Do you mind working alone, even prefer it, or do you like working with others? Would you rather be indoors in a lab or outdoors in the field?”

Real world experience—such as working in a lab during college and building professional relationships with those already in science careers—can be an invaluable education outside the classroom. Deciding when to persevere and when to change course is crucial as students advance in their educational life as well, Dewan confirms. “An important part of growing up is learning exactly who you are and what type of work would best suit you.”

Learning from Other Disciplines

“I think students often find it a little surprising that biology relies so much on knowledge of chemistry, physics, and math,” observes Dewan. “For example, a discussion about photosynthesis often relies on students knowing about electrons, energy levels, the basic chemistry of reactions, stoichiometry, and so on.” And though she emphasizes the universality of math (noting that “anyone picking up a graph you have made should be able to tell what is going on”), she also recognizes the value of interdisciplinary abilities in the science classroom. “Reading and writing are so important in the sciences!” Dewan affirms. “If you cannot communicate your ideas or your findings, you will not be able to get grants, write journal articles, or give decent talks.” 

Student Scientists

Laura Dewan has watched the study of genetics and other scientific topics rapidly develop throughout her academic career, and notes that today’s students live in a “golden age of information” in which knowledge is just an internet search away. Still, she emphasizes the value of experiential learning: observing animals or visiting a museum can raise—and answer—a host of questions. This hands-on approach, paired with the questioning of misinformation and evaluation of scientific sources, can help learners become not only analytical and innovative students, but “educated citizens.”

Dewan has taught coding, zoology, earth science, chemistry, and biology in CTD’s Summer Leapfrog [link], Hybrid [link], and Weekend Enrichment [link] Programs. 

Ross Middleton is an independent writer and formerly part of CTD’s Summer Program staff. He received his BA in English Literature from Wesleyan University and an MFA in Writing from Sarah Lawrence.Read more by Ross Middleton >