Sara Zufan

Echinacea Project 2013- Teacher Researcher

Chicago Teaching Fellows, Biology Fellow 2012 Cohort

Secondary Science Teacher at Multicultural Academy of Scholarship

B.S., Biological Sciences, DePaul University ’11

About Me

Currently, I teach biology, AP biology, and earth and space science to high school students at Multicultural Academy of Scholarship in Chicago. This summer I plan to work on various projects with Team Echinacea in order to develop a field-based unit that will give my students hands-on experience with outdoor research that will follow-up with laboratory investigations.

Prior to teaching I was on the path to academia. I worked in various labs mostly regarding evolutionary biology. A significant potion of that experience was in Corrie Moreau’s Ant Lab at the Field Museum of Natural History. There, I studied the evolutionary histories of ants and their endosymbiotic bacteria that was sparked by an interest in ant-plant mutualisms.

There is still much to learn about the world around us, especially on how to conserve it. I hope to plan a curriculum based on my experiences this summer that will inspire a future generation of scientists or bring awareness of current ecological issues to my students, at the very least.