Intellectual Pursuits

Here are the colleges I have attended.

School Name	Degree Earned	Comments
Long Island University: C.W. Post Campus	BS Chemistry	I had a great time here. Somehow I ended up as president of the Honors Advisory Board for two years. I’m still trying to figure that one out. At graduation, I was the only Chemistry major. I always wished others could have had the challenges I faced with my professors. They truly knew their stuff.
State University of New York: Old Westbury	Education Certificate	This was an interesting time. Of course, I ran through all the education credits and student teaching while keeping a full time job. Luckily the hours were flexible, but I was one tired soul. My favorite experience here was in a class where we needed to write a paper and present a culture. I chose Great Britain. For the presentation, I prepared myself by watching hours of Monty Python, mimicking the accent. I then introduced myself to the class in my usual dialect, then dove head-first into pseudo-British. A British student in the class told me afterward that, though at times I sounded Australian, it was a good performance.
City University of New York: Queens College	MS Science Education	It took me just over two years to complete the Masters. I was working full time again while I did it. Not easy, but if you can keep on top of the work, it gets done. I actually carried out a study to see if playing music helps kids to learn. It’s based on the Mozart Effect. In the end, I did see an improvement in the numbers, but not from a statistical standpoint.
Curtin University of Technology	Ph.D. Science Education	This is my current endeavor. Curtin is based in Australia, which is literally half-way around the world from me. My professors fly here twice a year to meet for intense week-long seminars. It is then the student’s responsibility to keep on top of timelines. Very different than what I am used to, but a fantastic and challenging experience. I am now in the research phase of my study, collecting data like crazy. Numerous teachers have been helpful with my data collection. I will always be grateful. In short, I am looking to give a comparison of lab styles versus students’ attitudes toward science, achievement, and perception of learning environment, differentiated by gender. That’s a mouthful, but it’s all there. My professors want me to present my findings at conferences starting in August 2005. That doesn’t give me much time.

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