Mentor & Role Model Spotlights – Page 2 – Community Resources for Science

Opening Imaginations: Student Futures in STEM

25 Years of Openings

Bobbye Smith: Leading East Bay Students into the World of Marine Science

March 2022 Bobbye Smith joined the CRS Community in 2011. A former Marine Biologist and Ecotoxicologist, she worked for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency before retiring in 2008. She currently volunteers teaching science at Cragmont Elementary School. We spoke with her to learn about why science in the classroom is important for her and the students she teaches. How did […]

Mentor & Role Model Spotlights

Emily King: Chasing the Wonder of Science from Sea to Land

March 2021 This spring, we interviewed Emily King, PhD student in Integrative Biology at UC Berkeley. Emily has been volunteering with BASIS and as a Science Ambassador for the past three years and was selected as an Inspiration Honoree for the 200,000 Students Inspired Celebration in May 2021. What led you to pursue a PhD in Integrative Biology? I study […]

Mentor & Role Model Spotlights

Julie Self: a Vision Scientist Helping Students Envision Themselves in Science

April 2021 Julie Self is a second year Vision Science PhD student with a background in neuroscience. This spring, she was selected as an Inspiration Honoree for the 200,000 Students Inspired Celebration in May 2021. How did you become involved with CRS? One of the members of our program started a lesson Eye See It to teach students about the […]

Mentor & Role Model Spotlights

Tanner Frank, Jaemin Lee, & Joshua Zimmt: Bringing Fossils to Life, BASIS Volunteers

April 2021 Tanner Frank and Jaemin Lee are third year PhD candidates at Cal Berkeley in the Integrative Biology Department. Tanner studies Paleoecology and Jaemin Lee is studying evolutionary ecology, or plant and animal interactions over time. Joshua Zimmt is a 4th year PhD candidate at Cal studying with the UC Museum of Paleontology. They’ve been involved with BASIS for […]

Mentor & Role Model Spotlights

Lorenzo Washington: Sharing the Excitement of New Knowledge

April 2021 Lorenzo Washington is a third year PhD candidate in the Plant and Microbial Biology Department, and has been involved with BASIS and Be A Scientist for the past 3 years. This spring Lorenzo was selected as an Inspiration Honoree as part of the 200,000 Students Inspired Celebration in May 2021. What or who inspired you to study Plant […]

Mentor & Role Model Spotlights

Anna D’Alessio: Teaching the Science of Problem Solving

April 2021 Anna has been involved with CRS since she was a BASIS volunteer in graduate school at Cal 7 years ago and is currently working with the Science Ambassador and Storytime Science programs. She was selected as an Inspiration Honoree for the 200,000 Students Inspired Celebration in May 2021. What inspired you to pursue your current position? I was […]

Mentor & Role Model Spotlights

The mission of CRS is to empower teachers and STEM professionals serving schools in historically marginalized communities to activate TK-8 students’ curiosity about the world, foster critical thinking, and inspire children to imagine future career pathways. We envision a community of educators, scientists, families and partners working together to build school cultures that equip all children to explore the world around them and build the skills needed to become innovators, problem solvers, environmental stewards, life-long learners and leaders. CRS leads a dynamic network, fostering relationships and collaborations that leverage expertise and resources to transform science teaching and learning toward greater equity, opportunity, and success for all students.

Our goal is simple: help teachers give students more opportunities to “do science” – to ask questions, test ideas, get their hands on real science activities. We need to inspire the next generation of thinkers, makers, problem solvers, and leaders!