Bio
In her classes, Jennifer Cordi fosters scientific thinking and the scientific method by creating sustained and structured field projects. For example, her students study the East River ecosystem—collecting plants and insects to understand their evolutionary and ecological relationships. Students catalogue samples, perform DNA analysis, record observations and measurements, and create hypotheses to be tested. One student said, “Biology was the hardest class I took; but by being immersed in scientific thinking, it was the most enjoyable.” Principal Michael Lerner observes, “Jennifer is deeply engaged with her students and her discipline. She knows what it means to be working in science and she produces scientists.”
