Meet the Faculty
Kara Cleffi
B.S. Bucknell University, M.S. Molecular and Cell Biology, Brandeis University
Why I Teach
I want students to find biology as fascinating as I do. It is very important to me to help students become scientifically literate citizens.
Favorite Inspirational Quote
What is a scientist after all? It is a curious man looking through a keyhole, the keyhole of nature, trying to know what's going on. -Jacques Yves Cousteau
Daniel J. Goduti
B.S., B.A. University of Virginia: Ph.D. Dartmouth College
Why I Teach
The moment when all of the details come together for a student and they realize the broad explanatory power of science.
Fun Fact
Before becoming a high school teacher, I studied a unicellular algae (Chlamydomonas reinhardtii) to better understand the molecular processes involved in the regulation of the eukaryotic flagella movement.
Favorite Inspirational Quote
An honest heart being the first blessing, a knowing head is the second. -Thomas Jefferson
Jamison Maley
M.S. Wesleyan University, M.S. University of Pennsylvania
Favorite Equation
Due to its controversy and implications: The Drake Equation.
Favorite Album
Headless Heroes of the Apocalypse by Eugene McDaniels.
Favorite Mind-Blowing Science Fact
Less than 4% of the universe is made up of regular matter like stars, galaxies, you, and me. The remaining 96% is made up of dark matter and dark energy, the nature of which cannot be seen and has yet to be fully understood.
Favorite Inspirational Quote
To every man is given the key to the gates of heaven. The same key opens the gates of hell. And so it is with science. -Richard Feynman
Carol O'Brien
B.S. Boston College, M.S. St. Joseph's University
Favorite Course
My favorite course was Pathogenesis of Disease.
Favorite Place
Silly question, EPCOT in Walt Disney World.
Fun Fact
There are three things I could talk about for hours on end: music, animals, and food.
Favorite Latin Phrase
Cui bono?
Favorite Inspirational Quote
The brick walls are there for a reason. They're not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something. -Randy Pausch
Chris DiBello '12
B.S. Chemistry, Penn State University; Master's Secondary Education, Saint Joseph’s University (Spring 2019)
Why I Teach
I always wanted to make a difference. The people who made the biggest difference in my life were my teachers. I hope to be able to provide the same opportunities to my students that my teachers provided for me.
Favorite Place
Yosemite National Park
Favorite Science Fact
Chlorine is a deadly chemical gas used in World War I. Sodium is a corrosive metal which reacts violently with water. Together they make a placid and poisonous material: table salt.
Tashia Lewis
Eastern University, Clemson University
Why I Teach
I love explaining science ideas to kids in ways that they’ll understand.
Fun Facts
I love to bake and decorate cakes, and I have a healthy obsession with my cat.
Favorite Books
Hot Lights, Cold Steel, Galileo’s Daughter, Stiff.
Favorite Inspirational Quote
Giving up is a permanent solution to a temporary problem.
Adam Myers
B.S. Penn State University
Why I Teach
I teach because I feel that I am able to have a positive impact on the lives of the students and the community. The job is empowering, enlightening, and humbling. I learn about how to be a better person as much as I instruct others about math or science.
Favorite Place
South Korea. I was able to spend three years there teaching English as a Second Language. It helped me figure out that teaching was the right career choice for me.
Favorite Mind-Blowing Science Fact
The sum of all natural numbers from 1 to infinity is negative one-twelfth.
Favorite Inspirational Quote
If you woke up this morning and had a job to go to and someone who loves you to come home to ... the game is over and you've already won. – Larry Miller