Ben Lavendar: Shares his Passion for Exploration
January 2015
For this month’s spotlight, we’re introducing a community member that we admire for their commitment science education. Ben Lavender loves being outdoors and is fascinated with wildlife. Field biology would seem like a natural fit, however he found it “was missing a human component that I also craved in my work. So I moved into the classroom so I could share my love of science with others.”
Ben Lavender loves being outdoors, is fascinated with wildlife, especially birds. Field biology would seem like a natural fit, however he found it “was missing a human component that I also craved in my work. So I moved into the classroom so I could share my love of science with others.”
This led Lavender to teaching science at the middle and high school level. One of his favorite teaching experiences was taking his students to Costa Rica and Mexico to do field biology. “I got to see them lay transects under water to count marine invertebrates and do nighttime patrols of the beach to monitor nesting sea turtles. It was really cool to be able to provide them with rich, authentic science experiences while they were still in high school.”
After seven years in the classroom Lavender transitioned to supporting teachers in science education. Now the Senior Manager of Teacher Professional Development at California Academy of Sciences, he manages the Academy’s Teacher Institute on Science and Sustainability (applications due March 15, 2015). Lavender supports 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade teachers across the Bay Area. “I think what excites me most about science is that the subject matter is intrinsically appealing to people of all ages. I watch elementary school students and veteran teachers alike get excited about doing and learning science in ways we simply don’t see in other subjects. There is excitement, curiosity, meaning making, and joy that is so visible during hands on science investigations. The science content doesn’t even have to be that complex for it to instill a sense of wonder in participants.”
Outside of the classroom Lavender enjoys drawing parallels between cooking and science. “There is physics, biology, chemistry, math, and problem solving all rolled into a delicious investigation you get to share and eat when you are done.” Food as science seems to be a theme as he remembers an early childhood science experience. “I remember trying to mimic the experiment where you place an egg atop a glass bottle and light a match at the bottom of the bottle and somehow the egg moves into the bottle. It was really fun to try to make that experiment happen in my back yard as a kid. I especially remember reading about the science behind why this phenomenon happens and being blown away by it. (Hint: I had always thought the egg was being sucked into the bottle. I was incorrect) Click here for instructions and the explanation.
Lavender feels “lucky to do the kind of work [he does].” He gets to envision rich science experiences for teachers in diverse communities and go into classrooms to experience students doing science. On top of this he gets to work “at such an amazing place like the Academy of Sciences.”
