Teaching Genius
Scientech Summer Institute Team
Dr. Chris Edwards,
Facilitator, Curriculum Developer, and Contact Person Chris has been a classroom teacher for fourteen years and currently teaches World History and Advanced Placement World History at Fishers High School. He has pioneered a new form of critical thinking which uses cross-curricular methods and analogy-making to approach scientific and philosophical problems. He has used this method to create several landmark papers in the topics of philosophy, law, logic, theoretical physics, psychology, and education for the science and philosophy journals Skeptic and Free Inquiry. Chris has connected this type of thinking to educational theory. His original connect-the-dots teaching methodology has been published by the National Council for Social Studies and his scholarship in World History has been published by the National Council for History Education. He is the author, most recently, of the five volume series that is collectively called Connecting the Dots in World History: A Teacher’s Literacy Based Curriculum (Rowman and Littlefield Education, 2015). This is the first teacher-generated curriculum ever published. He has also written Novum Organum II: Going beyond the Scientific Research Model (Rowman & Littlefield Education, 2014) and Teaching Genius: Redefining Education with Lessons from Science and Philosophy (Rowman and Littlefield Education, 2012). The Scientech Summer Institute is based upon the philosophy of knowledge and teaching which has been expressed in these books. Chris holds an Ed.D, Walden University; M.S. University of Indianapolis; B.S. Indiana University in Bloomington. Contact Chris at: 317-439-4153 or email him at: ScientechSummer@gmail.com
Dr. Krystina Leganza
Mathematics Lead Professor Leganza has been an associate professor at the University of Indianapolis for the past sixteen years and has also taught at Saint Mary’s College in Notre Dame and at Ball State University. Her active interests are in mathematics and in increasing female participation in mathematics. She co-directs the “Magic at U of I” program for girls in middle school and instructs middle school students in mathematics at summer camps. Professor Leganza is well-versed in both mathematics and pedagogy and will be assisting with the development of curriculum. Krystina holds a Ph.D, Notre Dame University; M.S., Notre Dame University; B.A. Miami of Ohio University.
Dr. Horia Petrache
Physics Lead Professor Petrache is an Associate Professor of Physics at Indiana University/Purdue University Indianapolis and is the author or co-author of over a dozen published papers in physics. He directs the IUPUI Physics Summer Research Program for High School students and is a former Chairperson and current member of the Indiana Academy of Science. He won the 2011 Trustee’s Teaching Award at IUPUI and has won numerous other awards and fellowships for his teaching and research. Horia holds a Ph.D., Physics, Carnegie Mellon University; M.S. Physics, Carnegie Mellon University, Diploma Theoretical Physics, University of Bucharest.