Karen Kalumuck, presenter for the NSDL web seminar, Small Creatures Under the Microscope, has had a lifelong desire to learn and teach science at all age levels. From the university classroom to the science center lab at the Exploratorium, Karen has dedicated herself to making science exciting for the audiences she serves. Learn how Karen became a skilled “translator” of science:

My name is Karen Kalumuck, and I’m a scientist and educator at the Exploratorium in San Francisco.

Growing up in Ohio, I enjoyed school from the first day of kindergarten. In high school it was a joy to experience “real” labs, and we had some advanced classes that cemented my interest in Biology. In fact, learning about “how life works” was about the coolest thing that I could imagine, and I couldn’t believe that everybody didn’t want to be a Biologist.

In undergrad school at Bowling Green State University, I became fascinated with bacteria and other microbes and earned my B.S. degree in microbiology. During my senior year, I had the opportunity to work with Drosophila geneticist, Dr. Ron Woodruff, and that experience rekindled my love of genetics. I had now set my ultimate career goal as becoming a college professor, still melding my loves of science and education. At Rice University, I earned my Ph.D. in Biology by analyzing the ribosomal RNA genes of Drosophila.

Feeling a great yearning to be more involved in education on a daily basis, I spent five years at St. Olaf College in Minnesota, and loved teaching, working with students, and introducing them to the joys of research.

Many years later, I became less interested in conducting research and teaching in a “traditional” educational setting, and more interested in scientific literacy for the general public. I was hired by the Exploratorium Teacher Institute (TI) to develop their first professional development program in Biology for middle school and high school teachers.

I’ve now been here nearly 15 years and love it! My work draws on all of my experience and passion as both an educator and a scientist, and I can best describe what I do as a “translator” of science for the public. The teachers that I work with are the most creative, dedicated, enthusiastic people that I know. At the Exploratorium, I’ve had the opportunity to author the Exploratorium’s first hands-on biology-focused book for teachers, “Human Body Explorations ”. I’ve also served as a “resource” for other departments, giving public presentations, acting as an “in house expert” for webcasts, and providing content expertise on the museum’s websites and publications. I feel lucky to work at a place with such a rich and varied staff of artists, scientists, and educators – I learn a tremendous amount from everyone. I can’t imagine working any place else.

The classroom activities that are a part of the Exploratorium’s microscope imaging station are a great example of the collaborative nature of our work. Our TI alumni teachers helped in the conception and development of the activities, as well as their organization. My colleague Kristina Yu tirelessly shot and modified images to fit the teacher’s requests. This collaboration between scientists and teachers, and repeated classroom testing and revision, make our activities classroom- friendly and ready to go! We’ve not found another source that uses microscopic images as the basis of classroom activities. Kristina’s images and videos are among the best that you will find on the web, making them a wonderful addition to any classroom curriculum.

Be sure to check us out at www.exploratorium.edu!