National Council of Science Museums, Kolkata, India
Visvesvaraya Industrial and Technological Museum, Bangalore, India
New York Hall of Science, Queens, New York
Profiles:
U.S. Participants
Jennifer Correa, Manager of Explainers, New York Hall of Science
Jennifer works to connect the museum to local youth through strategic partnerships with community-based organizations and universities. She oversees Explainer recruitment, training, and management and works with the program’s alumni. Jennifer received two consecutive Conference fellowship awards from the Association for Science and Technology Centers (ASTC) in 2004 and 2005 and was selected by the Getty Leadership Institute to participate in Museums Leaders: the Next Generation, a program dedicated to developing the career potential of promising individuals identified by senior museum staff. She was a presenter at the 2003 New York City Museums Educator Roundtable, the 4th Science Centre World Congress and the 2005 ASTC Annual Conference. Jennifer received an MA in Media Studies from Queens College.
Preeti Gupta,Senior Vice President, Education and Public Programs, New York Hall of Science
Featured in a photo exhibition of 42 local women entitled The Many Faces of Queens Women, which featured local women who have contributed to the community in unique ways, Preeti has been actively involved in her community since she was a high school participant in the New York Hall of Science’s Science Career Ladder Program. She now oversees the Science Career Ladder program along with Professional Development for over 3000 teachers annually, K-12 Student Programs, Digital Learning Programs, and Science Technology Library and Public Programs. Preeti also currently serves as editorial advisor to the journal ASTC Dimensions and regularly conducts sessions at the Association of Science-Technology Centers’ (ASTC) workshops and conferences. She was the recipient of the Association of Science-Technology Centers’ 2005 Roy L. Shafer Leading Edge Award for Experienced Leadership in the Field as well as two National Science Foundation Grants. Preeti has been published in the magazine Science Scope and in a National Science Teachers Association publication on Exemplary Science in Informal Science Settings. She holds a B.S. in Bioengineering from Columbia University, an M.A. in Education and Human Development from George Washington University, and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Urban Education at the City University of New York (CUNY).
Andrea Motto, Museum Youth Program Specialist, New York Hall of Science
As a Youth Program Specialist, Andrea works with her peers at museums and science centers around the world to integrate the model of the Science Career Ladder into their institutions. She is a member of the Explainer Leadership Team and acts as coach and advisor to the CLUSTER science teacher training program. Jennifer has participated in several annual conferences including the 2005 Science Center World Congress in Brazil and ASTC Conferences in 2003 and 2006. Andrea holds a B.A. in Biology and Psychology from Bluffton College and an MA in Integrated Teaching & Learning from Ohio State University.
Non-U.S. Participants
Shri Rupak Kumar Das, Education Officer, Regional Science Center, National Council of Science Museums
Shri has worked for the Indian National Council of Science Museums (NCSM) for more than 24 years. Early in his career with NCSM, he helped to develop international exhibitions focusing on the scientific field in India. Shri graduated from designing exhibits to overseeing curatorial and design teams that developed whole galleries at NCSM Science Centers. Building on this experience, he developed science kits and wrote science demonstration lectures which he used to train teachers at school science centers in several Indian states. He wrote and narrated the script for Evolution of Life Park and appeared in 6 episodes of Science Quest on Kolkata Television. Since 2002, Shri has worked at NCSM’s Regional Science Center in Guwahati, where he popularized various educational programs, developed new galleries and facilities, and began publication of a quarterly newsletter for schools, science organizations, and museums that highlights the Center’s activities. Shri holds a B.S. in Physics.
C.L. Laxminarayana, Education Officer, Visvesvaraya Industrial & Technological Museum
C.L. has devoted himself to making science accessible and fun for Indian youth at the grass-roots level. In addition to developing low-cost tool kits for schools that demonstrate electricity, magnetism, sound, light, and dynamics; he also trains area teachers covering topics including the importance of teaching science in schools, using audiovisual teaching aids, and computer literacy. He teaches the same computer courses to high school students along with model-making and astronomy. To reach an even broader audience about the importance of science to everyday life, C.L. has delivered over 700 lectures in schools and colleges and has made over 55 appearances on All India Radio speaking about popular science topics. For more than 15 years, C.L. helped to organize the District Level Science Fair of Gulbarga, and he worked with the District Science Center there to arrange many temporary exhibitions. C.L. holds a B.S. from Sri J.C.B.M. College, Sringeri, Mysore University and a P.G. in Electronic Data Processing and Computer Management from the District Science Center in Gulbarga, Karnataka.
