ISB News

New Research Unveils Effective STEM Program Models for High School Students from Historically Marginalized Communities

An ISB-led study has unveiled important insights and actionable protocols into providing equitable STEM experiences for high school students from historically marginalized communities. The research highlights the transformative power of informal STEM learning in addressing societal challenges and the ease with which many organizations could provide these important opportunities.

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2023-24 School Year ISB Education Highlights

Each month throughout the 2023-2024 academic year, we will highlight some of the top projects the ISB Education team is working on.

Sarah Clemente

AmeriCorps Member Sarah Clemente Joins ISB as Systems Thinkers in STEM Ambassador Coordinator

Sarah Clemente recently joined ISB as a Systems Thinkers in STEM Ambassador Coordinator, and is the third AmeriCorps member to work with us. In this Q&A, Clemente shares what drew her to ISB, what she hopes to accomplish over the next year, and more. 

High School Duo Named Champions in DOE-Sponsored AlgaePrize Competition

High school students Ashwin Mukherjee and Rohan Chanani worked with ISB Research Scientist Dr. Jacob Valenzuela on a project to build a machine learning algorithm to count algal cells from microscope images taken from a cell phone. In April, the team was recognized as champions in the DOE-sponsored AlgaePrize competition.

AmeriCorps Member Sara Calder Joins ISB as Systems Health and STEM Coordinator

Sara Calder recently joined ISB as Systems Health and STEM Coordinator, and is our second-ever AmeriCorps member. In this Q&A, Calder shares her education journey, her future plans, and much more.

Drs. Serdar Turkarslan and Christian Diener

ISB Honors Researchers Who Give Back to STEM Education

This year, two deserving scientists were bestowed recognition for giving back to STEM education. Dr. Serdar Turkarslan is the recipient of the JoAnn Chrisman Award for Distinguished Service to STEM Education, and Dr. Christian Diener was awarded the Dr. Christine Schaeffer Award for Exemplary Service to STEM Education. 

Bringing DNA Sequencing to the High School Classroom

Christopher Lausted and Dr. Danielle Vermaak were featured guests of an ISB Research Roundtable presentation. The husband-and-wife team detailed the planning and rollout of a DNA sequencing curriculum project that was tested in Vermaak’s Lincoln High School science classroom in Seattle.

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Archive: 2021-22 School Year ISB Education Highlights

In this robust roundup from the 2021-22 academic year, we highlight the top projects the team worked on by month.

Miranda Johnson

Get to Know Miranda Johnson, ISB’s First-Ever AmeriCorps Member

This past fall, AmeriCorps member Miranda Johnson packed her bags and left her home state of Illinois to join ISB as a Systems Thinkers in STEM Coordinator. Johnson is the first AmeriCorps member at ISB, so we had quite a few questions about how she got here, her experience thus far, and her future plans. 

Valerie Logan Luncheon emcee Heather Logan

‘Innovation to Impact:’ 8th Annual Valerie Logan Luncheon Shines Light on ISB Education

The 8th Annual Valerie Logan Luncheon celebrated ISB Education’s mission of engaging entire school systems — from principals and administrators to teachers and students — to ensure all students are STEM literate. Nearly 100 people attended the event at ISB, and generously gave more than $100,000 for ISB Education.

2019 education awards

ISB’s Mónica Orellana, Nyasha Chambwe Honored With Inaugural Education Recognition Awards

At ISB, many of our scientists and STEM professionals give their time and expertise and make profound impacts on our educational programs. Two of our researchers — Dr. Mónica Orellana and Dr. Nyasha Chambwe — were honored with inaugural Education Recognition Awards for their devotion to providing quality STEM education.

Biology students

Biology Classes ‘Come Alive’ After Teacher’s Summer with ISB

Kyle Kinzler, a high school biology teacher from Portland, Oregon, spent part of last summer at Institute for Systems Biology to evolve his curriculum and learn new ways to teach relevant, compelling and innovative content to his students. As a result, he says his classes has “come alive.”

Julia Joo

Former intern thanks ISB

In 2013, Joo was a high school intern in ISB’s Hood Lab. In 2014, she came back for another internship, this time in the Huang Lab. Joo has since graduated from the University of Washington with a Biochemistry and Molecular, Cellular and Development Biology double major, and now she’s working at Seattle Children’s Research Institute Center for Immunity and Immunotherapies in the Miao Lab.

Awards: Claudia Ludwig Receives AWIS Award

Photo above: ISB’s Claudia Ludwig, MEd (center); Emily Fox, MEng, EE, PhD, for outstanding scientific advancement in STEM (left); Alyssa Taylor, PhD, for excellence in science education (right). Credit: courtesy of AWIS and photographer Martina Machackova Congratulations to Claudia Ludwig, Director of Systems Education Experiences (SEE), on receiving an award from the Seattle chapter of the Association for Women in Science for Excellence in Science Outreach. The ceremony to honor…

Earth To Dinner 2 at Seattle Culinary Academy

ISB participated in Earth To Dinner 2 on Jan. 12 at Seattle Culinary Academy. This was a follow-up event for the Dec. 12 Earth to Dinner event at ISB. (Read more…) The theme was sustainable food/agriculture and urban design. Panelists for the evening included: Grace Kim: Architect and co-founder of Schemata Workshop Liz Fikejs: Conservation Program Manager, Seattle Public Utilities Jessica Day: Project Manager, Project Feed 1010 Dean DeCrease: Principal…

‘Invisible Forest’ Curriculum

By Claudia Ludwig Baliga Lab Education Program Manager The past nine days have been exciting for the Baliga Lab. Dr. Anne Thompson and I have been working with eight teachers to begin the process of translating Anne’s oceanography research on the Invisible Forest into curriculum that offers a hands-on, engaging experience for high school students. The group developed the framework and drafted lessons that will be field tested this year….

Now Accepting ISB Internship Applications

ISB’s summer internships for high school and undergraduate students are highly competitive — who wouldn’t want to work leading experts in systems biology research? The application process is now open. If you or someone you know may be interested in applying, visit the following links: High School Internships Undergraduate Internships

Greater Good: Successful High School Interns

Every summer, ISB welcomes a group of high school interns, hosted through our Systems Education Experiences program. ISB is proud of its collaborative and cross-disciplinary culture and we work hard to nurture an environment that allows our staff to achieve at a high level. It was especially gratifying to get this comment from one of our interns, who had just completed her time here: “At ISB, I witnessed collaboration that…