Jessica Sullivan

Continuing the RET of the Week is Jessica Sullivan from Malden High School! She teaches biology and chemistry, and is excited to see what she’ll gain from the RET program.

Sullivan knew she wanted to go into the science field, but found her love of teaching after her undergraduate studies. “I majored in biology as an undergrad and then spent several years after college working as a research assistant in a stem cell and regenerative biology lab,” she said. “I enjoyed getting hands-on experience in the field, but more that ever that time showed me that I wanted to teach.”

Sullivan applied to the RET program with the objective of learning engineering skills and applying them to her classroom. So far, she finds working with undergrad REUs extremely helpful, as they provide models for high school students to see what options and opportunities are out there.

Because high schoolers don’t get a lot of exposure to research, Sullivan wants to bridge the gap between the research community and education field. She is constantly improving her curriculum to include more real-world applications of science.

“Many students don’t understand what it means to ‘be a scientist’ and they aren’t exposed to seeing different representations of scientists,” she said. “They more they know and see the more they could become interested and see themselves pursuing a career in STEM in the future.”

Sullivan believes the RET program will help her keep up with changes in science education. She said, “There is a current shift in education to become more inquiry-based and incorporate engineering skills…I hoped that this program would help prepare me to develop activities that demonstrate these skills.” Her school also has a community “makerspace” that includes a shop and 3D printing equipment, which she hopes to get her students involved in.

When she isn’t trying to improve the science curriculum and learn new technologies, Sullivan like to spend time outdoors, hike, cook, and spend time with friends and family.