Teaching science a challenge she loves

Who: Indian River High School science teacher Tyna Gaylord, who was recently involved in creating science experiments for National Public Radio's Pulse of the Planet Kids Detective Science Challenge. Mrs. Gaylord, who lives in Castorland, also is an adjunct professor of forensic science at Syracuse University, where she is working toward a doctorate degree in science education.

Tell me a little about yourself.

"I've been a science teacher in the Indian River Central School District (Philadelphia) for 13 years, and for 10 of those years I've also worked at Syracuse University."

How did you get involved with the Detective Science Challenge?

"Some of my colleagues at Syracuse University were involved in NPR's (National Public Radio's) nationwide Pulse of the Planet Challenge, and they wanted to propose a detective science challenge for the program that has to do with forensics. The proposal was accepted, then I got involved and they had me develop some science labs for kids to do."

Can you describe your experiences with the Detective Science Challenge? What did you do?

"I designed some very kid-friendly labs for the Detective Science Challenge, experiments that can be done at home. Any kid can go to the Web site, www.kidsciencechallenge.com and download all the information they'll need to do the labs, and then they can submit their work. The labs include things like using cocoa powder to take a fingerprint like you might at a crime scene. Another one is measuring a footprint at the scene to determine how tall the person who left the print is. I also have demonstration tapes on the site for all of the labs so the kids can see how to do them. It's all something they can do at home, with household products."

What is the goal of the science challenge?

"We'd like to get children involved in science at younger ages, to show them that science can be fun and so they're interested once they reach the higher levels like chemistry and forensics as they get older."

What made you decide to become a science teacher?

"I'm one of those rare people that took chemistry courses and I knew I wanted to work with that for the rest of my life. I love the math, the challenge of solving things and how you can look at the same problem in several very different ways and get the same answer. And I really love to teach."

What courses are you teaching this year?

"At Indian River, I teach chemistry and forensic science courses. I'm also an adjunct professor at Syracuse University for summer science courses. Because I'm an adjunct professor, my high school chemistry students can take the equivalent of an honors college chemistry course and get up to eight college credits for it."

What are your high school students working on right now?

"My chemistry students are learning how to build molecules. My forensic science class is doing a soil lab. In the lab (scenario), a student was dropped off at the hospital, covered in dirt and badly beaten. The students are going to be testing dirt from all over the county to find out where it happened, who owns the land and who has access to that land, to try to figure out who might have done it."

What is your favorite part of your job?

"The students. I love the way that quirky little things can lead them to come up with an answer to a problem. I loved it when a student once said at the end of a class: 'I always learn something in here.' So it's certainly the students. Plus, if you put me in an office, I would go insane."

Why did you decide to go back to school?

"Jim Spencer, a chemistry professor who I work with at Syracuse University, really encouraged me to go back to school to get my doctorate. Indian River let me leave the district for a year to pursue a doctorate in chemistry and after two months I knew I made a mistake, and I came back to my job here. I ended up going for a doctorate in science education because I wanted to know all of the newest education trends and to bring them back to Indian River. I've found that you never stop learning if you keep pushing yourself and your students to do more."

How do you find the time for teaching and studying?

"I have a phenomenal husband and kids. I have a 9-year-old and an 11-year-old and they totally have my back, even if I come home and say 'Mom has to study now.'"

What are some of your hobbies outside of work?

"My husband and I like to hike, and we try to get involved in two or three 5K races every year. And I love being a mom — I coach my son's Olympics of the Mind team at Lowville Academy and I love watching my kids' sports teams."

If you would like to suggest a person to be featured in a Q&A, contact Jamie Munks at jmunks@wdt.net.