Contributions to the Education Community

Participation in Professional Organizations

  • Math for America- Early Career Teacher Fellowship Recipient

  • Columbia University Summer Research Program for Teachers Fellowship Recipient
    (Local and International Programs )

  • NYC Men Teach - Anchor Teacher

  • National Science Teacher Association Member (NSTA)

  • Volunteer Judge at New York City Science and Engineering Fair

Fellowships, Grants and Awards

Math For America, Early Career Fellow

"All teachers who receive an MƒA fellowship join a city-wide STEM community of critical thinkers, collaborative learners, and acclaimed experts. We advocate for teachers to be respected and trusted as professionals and to have access to a meaningful professional community where their voices are prominent. We believe MƒA is changing the way we think about teachers and teaching in America. Our goal is to improve retention nationally ...."

Columbia Univ. Summer Research Program for Teachers

Through my participation in the Columbia University Summer Research Program for teachers, I gained valuable lab experiences that contributed to my confidence in the classroom. I engaged in cutting-edge Stem Cell research for two years, as well as collaborated with other NYC Teacher on ways to incorporate these concepts into our curriculum using the Next Generation Science Standards to prepare students for the Living Environment Regents Exam. This program also gave me the opportunity to take my students on a trip to the New York Stem Cell Foundation, where they got to see where I worked, and meet the scientists I worked with.

Participation in Local and National Conferences

Partners in Science National Conference

After completing a 2-year summer research fellowship at the New York Stem Cell Foundation, the Columbia University Summer Research Program for Teachers offered me the opportunity to conduct summer research at James Cook University in Townsville, Australia. To the left, you will find a video of my presentation. My participation in this fellowship has not only allowed me to contribute to the field of contemporary Biology , but it has given me the opportunity to expose my students to this field through field trips, guest speakers and access to materials.

San Diego, CA, Jan. 2020

Modeste Talk (2018) FINAL ppt

Robo-dope

Optimizing passage-less dopaminergic neuron differentiation protocol for application on robots.

NSTA Presentation

National Science Teacher Association

During my first year, I partnered with the Career and Technical Education teacher to implement project-based science activities in a co-taught setting. While working on these projects, students investigated human consumption of resources and ways to reduce this consumption. In one unit, students worked collaboratively to develop sustainable businesses requiring physical and 3-D models, Google Sites, and presented to a panel of faculty and industry experts. To further deepen the understanding of their projects, informal learning experiences- such as trips, labs and speakers- allowed other opportunities for students to engage with the concept of Sustainability. Through this collaborative effort, student engagement increased, reducing classroom management issues and increasing performance on content based assessments.

NSTA National Conference, Atlanta, GA Spring 2018

NYCMT Presentation

NYCMen Teach Annual Showcase

As an Anchor of NYC Men Teach, I am engage in a community of educators from around NYC. Along with other teachers and Administrators, I participated in the Culturally Responsive Education Ingenuity Team along , which focused on topics around strategies for creating Culturally Responsive curriculum in all content areas. The presentation served as a model of various strategies educators could use to make their classrooms more culturally responsive.

Columbia Teacher's College, New York, NY Spring 2018


Research Poster Presentations

Modeste Poster -YG edit.pptx

Mini-brains on Drugs: Small Molecule Activation of Folds in Midbrain Organoids

Partners in Science National Conference (2018),

San Diego, CA

Edu 5280 Research Presentation Poster.pptx

Inclusive Practices for Students with Learning Disabilities in Extracurricular Activities

SUNY Plattsburgh, Spring 2016

Genes in Space Finalist Launchpad (2020)


Genspace Instructor

Fakebook: Using Data Science to Spot Fake News