Joan Gillman is a National Geographic Certified Educator who has spent more than 40 years encouraging students to develop a passion for science and a lifelong learning ethos through cross-disciplinary curriculum and educator coaching. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in education, summa cum laude, from Felician University and was awarded a Master of Arts in education by New York University in 1982. Ms. Gillman empowers students with the critical thinking skills and “big picture” worldview necessary for them to become future leaders and environmental stewards. She began teaching in 1982 and spent the next two decades as a classroom teacher and content area specialist for fourth, fifth, and sixth-grade students. Ms. Gillman became a fifth and sixth-grade teacher at the Calhoun School in 2008 and has taught science at New York’s Browning School since 2018. She is a community ambassador for projects by NASA and the American Museum of Natural History and a frequent speaker and presenter at educator conferences, including the 2019 STANYS Conference and the 2020 online NYC STANYS Professional Workshop. Ms. Gillman is the author of “Straw Rockets are Out of this World!” which appeared in an NSTA Magazine, and “Bringing STEM to the Elementary Classroom.”