The MƒA Thursday Think Speaker Series brings accomplished speakers who dive into cutting edge topics in STEM education to MƒA. A unique part of our professional course offerings, these talks, held on a Thursday of every month throughout the school year, invite MƒA teachers and their colleagues, as well as other educators and the general public to learn and engage with these thought leaders and professionals in mathematics, science, and education.
December 15 — MT²: Master Teachers on Teaching Featuring MƒA Master Teachers
MT²: Master Teachers on Teaching features original and thought-provoking presentations by MƒA Master Teachers, similar to a TEDx event. The theme for the eleventh annual Master Teachers on Teaching will be announced soon. The talks will explore the theme and what it means in your classroom and classrooms across New York City. Come find out and bear witness to these innovative and inspiring talks by our own MƒA Master Teachers!
MƒA teachers can register for this event on the Small-World Network .
January 26 — Mycology: Exploring Fungi in the Environment and in the Classroom Featuring John Michelotti
Fungi are everywhere: in the air we breathe, the soil we walk on, and the foods we eat, yet they are rarely included in current science curricula. From early human uses (e.g., fermentation and medicine) to modern implementation (e.g., ecological restoration and possible off-planet living), fungi have and continue to play, an essential role in science and human culture, so WTF (where are the fungi?) when it comes to classroom learning? In this Thursday Think talk, John Michelotti explores the science behind how fungi grow in our ecosystems, highlights how modern science is utilizing fungi, and shares exciting resources that can help fungi flourish in the classroom.
More about John Michelotti John Michelotti is the founder of Catskill Fungi, which empowers people with fungi through outdoor educational classes, cultivation courses, mushroom art, and mushroom health extracts. John is a former President of the Mid-Hudson Mycological Association (MHMA). He serves as Medicinal Mushroom Committee Chair and is a Poison Control Consultant for the North American Mycological Association. He was chosen by the Catskill Center as a "Steward of the Catskills" for his contributions to the environment. He aims to educate and inspire people to pair with fungi to improve the environment, their health, and their communities.
When Does Breast Cancer Risk Begin? Featuring Jasmine McDonald, Ph.D.
More about Jasmine McDonald Dr. McDonald is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Epidemiology at the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University. She received her Doctorate from the Biological Sciences in Public Health Program at Harvard University with a concentration in Immunology and Infectious Disease. She has postdoctoral training in breast cancer epidemiology from the University of Pennsylvania and Columbia University. Her research integrates individual level health behaviors and the macroenvironment (e.g. physical, social, microbial environment) with biological factors (e.g. endocrine disruption, epigenetic modification, tumor microenvironment) to inform how these multiple levels of etiology impact breast cancer risk across the lifecourse. Much of her research focuses on populations who have a higher burden of cancer including those with a genetic predisposition, racial and ethnic minorities, and young women. An avid teacher and mentor, Dr. McDonald was awarded the 2021 Columbia University Teaching Award for her dedication and excellence in teaching, mentoring, and community engagement. She teaches cancer epidemiology within the Mailman School, is the Assistant Director of the Cancer Research, Training, and Education Center at the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center (HICCC,) and is the Co-Director of the CURE Program at the HICCC, which seeks to bring high school and undergraduate students from traditionally overlooked and underserved communities to cancer-related research fields. Dr. McDonald also actively engages with the community from a research and educational perspective on the harmful role of endocrine disruptors in personal care products.
Statistics and Data Science in Society Featuring Jeffrey Morris, Ph.D.
More about Jeffrey Morris Dr. Morris received his B.A. in Mathematics Education at Messiah College in Grantham, PA in 1993, and his Ph.D. in Statistics from Texas A&M University in 2000. He worked as a professor of Biostatistics at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, TX from 2000 to 2019, before moving to the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania in 2019 to become Director of the Division of Biostatistics. He has over 250 publications in peer-reviewed journals, received numerous professional awards for research innovation and mentoring, and served in executive leadership positions in statistical professional societies and editorial leadership positions for academic journals. During the pandemic, Dr. Morris authored a blog https://covid-datascience.com in which he attempts to use his skills and perspectives as a statistical data scientist to evaluate and synthesize accruing information in the pandemic, debunking misinformation and filtering out political and other sources of bias, to clearly communicate objective, empirically-based science about various aspects of the pandemic to the general audience. Through these efforts, he has been actively involved in scientific communication through television, radio, online, and print media sources.
Building a Foundation For Culturally and Historically Responsive Education Featuring Gholdy Muhammad, Ph.D.
More about Gholdy Muhammad Dr. Gholnecsar (Gholdy) Muhammad is an Associate Professor of Literacy, Language, and Culture at the University of Illinois at Chicago. She studies Black historical excellence within educational communities with the goal of reframing curriculum and instruction. Dr. Muhammad’s scholarship has appeared in leading academic journals and she is the author of the best-selling book, Cultivating Genius: An Equity Framework for Culturally and Historically Responsive Literacy. Her Responsive Education Model has been adopted in school districts across the U.S. and she has received numerous national awards for her work. In 2022, she was named among the top 1% Edu-Scholar Public Influencers. She was also recognized by Education Week as one of the 200 most influential education researchers, received the 2020 American Educational Research Association’s Division K Early Career Award, and the 2021 NCTE Outstanding Elementary Educator in the English Language Arts. She has led a federal grant with the United States Department of Education to study culturally and historically responsive literacy in STEM classrooms.
Featuring MƒA Storytellers
Learn more about the Story Collider Since 2010, The Story Collider has brought true and personal stories about science to life through their many live shows and their weekly podcast. The knowledge gained has been instrumental in teaching scientists how to use narrative in their work to show that science is now, more than ever, a vibrant and integral part of all of our lives, and that everyone — regardless of class, race, gender, sexuality, or education — has a story to tell about how it has impacted them. At this Thursday Think, you’ll hear from MƒA Master Teacher storytellers as they share the times things went wrong, and occasionally right, in their labs, classrooms, and beyond. Some of the stories will be heartbreaking, others will be hilarious, but they will all be true and very personal.
Featuring Emily Riehl, Ph.D.
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Featuring David Spergel, Ph.D.
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Living With Chimpanzees Featuring Zarin Machanda, Ph.D.
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MT²: Master Teachers on Teaching Featuring MƒA Master Teachers
The Mathematics of Card Shuffling Featuring Francis Su, Ph.D.
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The Science of Wonder Featuring Educational Consultant and YouTube Creator Paul Andersen
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Would We Know Life if We Saw It? Featuring Clara Sousa-Silva, Ph.D.
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Math Anxiety: Who Has It, Why It Develops, and How to Guard Against It Featuring President of Barnard College Sian Beilock, Ph.D.
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COVID-19 Vaccines: What Do We Know Four Months Into Vaccine Rollout? Featuring Florian Krammer, Ph.D.
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Volcanology: Danger, Discovery, and Delight Featuring Volcanologist Jess Phoenix
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Singing in the Brain Featuring Neurobiologist Dr. Erich Jarvis
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Examining Identity, Agency, Positionality and Authority in Mathematics Teaching Featuring National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) President Dr. Robert Berry
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When Content Meets Context: Toward a Revolution in STEM Education Featuring Professor Chris Emdin
More about Chris Emdin
Christopher Emdin is an associate professor in the Department of Mathematics, Science, and Technology at Teachers College, Columbia University, where he also serves as the Associate Director of the Institute for Urban and Minority Education. He is the creator of the #HipHopEd social media movement and Science Genius B.A.T.T.L.E.S., as well as the author of the award-winning book Urban Science Education for the Hip- Hop Generation and the New York Times best seller For White Folks Who Teach in the Hood and the Rest of Ya’ll Too . Emdin was named the 2015 Multicultural Educator of the Year by the National Association of Multicultural Educators and has been honored as a STEM Access Champion of Change by the White House under President Obama. In addition to teaching, he served as a Minorities in Energy Ambassador for the U.S. Department of Energy.
Made You Look: Statistics Through Data Visualization Featuring Data Editor of Guardian US Mona Chalabi
Hands-On Puzzles Featuring Mathematician and Sculptor Dr. George Hart
For speaker inquiries or speaking opportunities, contact Jennifer Cody , Program Officer for Engagement and Communications.
December 15 — MT²: Master Teachers on Teaching
January 26 — Mycology: Exploring Fungi in the Environment and in the Classroom
When Does Breast Cancer Risk Begin?
Statistics and Data Science in Society
Building a Foundation For Culturally and Historically Responsive Education
The Story Collider
The Mathematics of Social Choice
Measuring the Shape and Age of the Universe
Living With Chimpanzees
MT²: Master Teachers on Teaching
The Mathematics of Card Shuffling
The Science of Wonder
Would We Know Life if We Saw It?
Math Anxiety: Who Has It, Why It Develops, and How to Guard Against It
COVID-19 Vaccines: What Do We Know Four Months Into Vaccine Rollout?
Volcanology: Danger, Discovery, and Delight
Singing in the Brain
Examining Identity, Agency, Positionality and Authority in Mathematics Teaching
When Content Meets Context: Toward a Revolution in STEM Education 
Made You Look: Statistics Through Data Visualization
Hands-On Puzzles