Meet the Teacher Institute Staff

As program manager for the Teacher Institute, Debbie handles a range of programmatic and administrative work, including departmental planning, budgeting, and grant proposals and reports.

Debbie came to TI after ten years at the University of California helping faculty and administrators strengthen research partnerships across UC campuses. She studied astronomy and literature at Carleton College, and holds a master’s degree in English literature from the University of Chicago. Debbie’s first real job was in a science museum, and she is thrilled to continue to explore her lifelong interest in science, art, and education at the Exploratorium. Born and raised in Chicago, Debbie now calls Oakland and the Bay Area home. She spends her free time hiking, reading, dog sitting, and ginning up experiments in the kitchen and garden.

A Southern California native, Desiré earned an AS from Antelope Valley College, a BS in chemical engineering from UCLA, and an MS and PhD in chemical and material physics from UC Irvine. Her research focused on developing very fast laser and microscope systems that could capture molecules vibrating and rotating in real time. She was a postdoc at UC Berkeley, where she designed and built attosecond lasers (the fastest laser pulses, which emit x-ray light, ever measured). At the Lawrence Hall of Science she wrote an all-digital K–8 science curriculum (Amplify Science), which aligned to the NGSS, with the Learning Design Group (LDG). Desiré left LDG to teach hands-on laser technology and physics courses at Irvine Valley College before joining the TI staff. She is the proud mom of Stella, a four-year-old boxer-pit mix. In her spare time, Desiré is restoring her 1967 VW bug.

Don has taught physics for over fifty years—“since the crust cooled,” as he's been known to say—in settings ranging from a college in Liberia and a high school in Turkey to public high schools in Pleasanton, California. He was a participant in the Teacher Institute’s first Summer Institute in 1984. He has been working with science teachers at the Exploratorium since 1985, and co-authored (with Paul Doherty) the Exploratorium Science Snackbook, first published in 1991. The Snackbook shows teachers how to use simple materials to build classroom versions of over 100 Exploratorium exhibits. He also co-authored (again with Paul Doherty) Square Wheels, with thirty-one additional science snacks.

In 1983, Don began “Physics Day” at Great America, an amusement park in Santa Clara, California, an event that has grown from ninety students to more than 20,000. Continuing his lifelong interest in toys, he was the author of Lego Crazy Action Contraptions. More recently, one of his grandkids worked as a volunteer and intern for three years TI Summer Institute.

Don received a BS in Engineering from Stanford University and an MA in Science Education from Columbia University. He and his wife, Ann, live in Pleasanton, California.

Don's website

Eric began his career as a geologist, wandering remote dirt roads in the American Southwest. After a few years, he decided to get his hands dirty and became a credentialed teacher. He taught chemistry, physics, geology, math, and at-risk-youth programming in Bay Area public schools. After attending his first Summer Institute at the Exploratorium, he was hooked! He joined the Teacher Institute in 1995 as a science, math, and technology educator.

Eric has created numerous hands-on activities and conducted professional development workshops from Alaska to Costa Rica, China, and Tobago. He has written articles for The Science Teacher, The Physics Teacher, several museum publications, and various websites. He is the author of While You’re Waiting for the Food to Come, a book of science activities that can be done at restaurants. He has also been a contributor to NPR and helped to create an internationally distributed poster of the Earth’s Anatomy.

Eric earned a BS in earth science from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and an MA in education from Columbia University. He was a fellow at Tufts University’s Wright Center for Innovation in science education. He has also worked as a whitewater rafting guide, done research on glaciers, worked in a high-energy physics lab, and taught courses at several universities.

Eric's website

Bay Area native Hilleary Osheroff is the Teacher Institute’s Staff Biologist and resident expert in carbon-based life forms. She holds a PhD in neurobiology and developmental biology from the Rockefeller University. Before joining the Exploratorium, she taught high school students at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, where she learned a lot about evolution and phylogenetics; worked with paleontologists, conservation biologists, and anthropologists to provide research experiences for students; and was generally swept off her feet by teaching science in museums.

Her favorite things in San Francisco include the Bernal Hill hawks, Ocean Beach, sea lions, dumplings on Balboa, burritos on Mission, and her two small children.

Jessica Parker is the Director of Teaching and Learning at the Exploratorium. With 12+ years teaching in higher education and secondary classrooms, Jessica has a passion for STEM education, extensive experience in supporting professional learning networks, and expertise in digital media and learning, maker education, and educational technology. She co-founded the Maker Certificate Program at Sonoma State University, where she was previously Chair and a tenured Associate Professor in the Curriculum Studies and Secondary Education department. She is the author of Teaching Tech-Savvy Kids: Bringing Digital Media into the Classroom. Jessica completed her undergraduate and graduate work at the University of California, Berkeley; she has a BA in Mass Communication and a MA and a PhD in Education. With two young children, she is currently inspired by Legos, treasure hunts, the card game Crazy Eights, and, of course, the Exploratorium’s Sun Painting.

Julia Petraglia is the Project Coordinator for TI and provides administrative support to the wonderful TI and IFI teams. Passionate about bringing innovative and creative learning opportunities to students and educators, Julia has spent the last 5+ years supporting the education and community outreach efforts of various arts organizations. A Bay Area native, Julia ventured down south to attend Scripps College where she earned her B.A. in Music and Psychology. She spends her free time Irish dancing, playing the flute, and volunteering with local animal rescue organizations.

Julie first participated in the Institute as a middle school math and science teacher, then went on to graduate school, earning a PhD in chemical engineering with a minor in molecular and cell biology from the University of California, Berkeley. In 2006, after completing her research in viruses, stem cells, and how to win at foosball, Julie returned to the Exploratorium and discovered an ideal blend of science, education, and play. Julie’s passion is creating hands-on activities that demonstrate real science with the simplest materials possible.

In her spare time, she still thinks about science, but usually in the kitchen, where she can focus on her favorite synthesis of physics, chemistry, and biology—cooking and eating.

Julie's website

Staff teacher Lori Lambertson was born and raised in California and has a lifelong interest in and love for this area. Lori studied biology and dance at the University of California, Santa Cruz, where she also had a brief but thrilling career as a professional bicycle racer. She completed a BFA with an emphasis in painting at the University of San Francisco, and an MA in education from San Francisco State University, where she also earned her teaching credentials. Lori taught both math and science at the middle school level. She attended the Summer Institute in 1991, which was a life-changing experience. In 1996, she left classroom teaching to work as a Teacher-in-Residence in the Exploratorium’s Teacher Institute (TI). Lori co-authored The Math Explorer, and has had teaching experiences in India and Costa Rica and throughout the United States. She enjoys hula dancing, learning Spanish, painting, gardening, cooking, hiking, and surfing.

Lori's website

Michelle's love of STEM learning and teaching goes back decades. With her biology degree, she conducted marine mammal research, which led to a position as a naturalist teaching informal science education. Having seen the light and understanding the potential of this form of learning for reaching nontraditional learners, she returned to graduate school to deepen her understanding. Having taught middle school math and science for four years, she returned to Stanford for her doctoral degree in Science Education and taught Science Curriculum and Instruction to pre-service teachers in the process. For 18 years, she has worked as a researcher and evaluator in STEM education, first at SRI International, then the Center for Informal Learning and Schools at Exploratorium, and as an independent contractor with Inverness Research and her own research and evaluation group. She is thrilled to work with the many talented teachers and teacher leaders who are part of the Teacher Institute.

Paul Doherty graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with a PhD in physics. He was a tenured professor of physics for twelve years at Oakland University, Michigan, where he taught courses ranging from physics, astronomy, and geology to electronics, computer programming, and meteorology. In 1986 he came to the Exploratorium Teacher Institute, where he developed and taught workshops and published them on his web page. He was the author of many books, including the Explorabook, The Exploratorium Science Snackbook, the Klutz Book of Magnetic Magic, Color of Nature, and Traces of Time. Paul received the Faraday Science Communicator award from the NSTA and was named the “Best Science Demonstrator” at the World Congress of Museums in Helsinki in 1996. He played music on the whirly—a corrugated plastic tube.  He was also a rock climber and climbed the face of El Capitan, as well as making the first ascent of a 20,000-foot peak in the Sierra Nevada de Lagunas Bravas in the Andes.

Paul's website
Donate to the Paul Doherty Fund

Suzanne Pierre is the Teacher Institute's environmental scientist and senior environmental educator. Sue is originally from the east coast and holds a BA in environmental studies from New York University and a PhD in ecosystems ecology and biogeochemistry from Cornell University. She also completed a postdoctoral fellowship at UC Berkeley. Sue's research focuses on the impacts of climatic change on the elemental relationships among plants, microbes, and soils. Sue is an avid hiker, loves backpacking, rock climbing, making food, and vintage/thrifted fashion. She also explores and expresses herself through writing, where she critiques the past and present, and envisions a just future at the intersection of elemental exchanges, nature, freedom, and justice. More about Sue can be found at www.suzannepierre.com.

Tammy is a teacher in the Exploratorium’s Teacher Institute. Her primary role is to train and support coaches and mentors who work with novice science teachers in their first two years in the classroom and to develop life science content for teachers. A science educator for seventeen years, Tammy has taught elementary and middle school science and has mentored and coached novice science teachers through programs such as Peninsula Bridge, Breakthrough San Francisco, and the Exploratorium’s Teacher Induction Program. She earned her biology degree at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and her master's degree in science education at Teachers College, Columbia University. A National Board Certified Teacher in Early Adolescent Science, she is passionate about crafting learning opportunities for all students that ignite a love of science. And is she dedicated to finding the best ways to support STEM teachers in creating classrooms that do just that.

Zeke is a teacher in the Exploratorium’s Teacher Institute. Along with Tammy, Zeke’s primary role is to train and support coaches and mentors who work with novice science teachers in their first two years in the classroom. Zeke taught high school science for 21 years in Houston, Dallas, New Orleans, and San Francisco. He believes that science education starts when students construct their own understanding of the world.

In 2011, he was selected to be an Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellow at the National Science Foundation. During his time there he worked with Congress and the White House on important science education issues, including writing a white paper on using large datasets in the classroom. In addition, he has worked as a science advisor for both NBC Learn and Discovery Digital. For fun, Zeke puts on physics circus shows. He thinks of them as magic shows, but in reverse—the secret to a magic trick is to make something simple intentionally confusing, while Zeke tries to make confusing things easy to understand.