Chris Vargas - Wilcox High School

I am Chris Vargas and I teach biology and AP environmental science at Wilcox High School in Santa Clara, CA. I graduated from San Jose State with a B.S. in Biological Sciences with an emphasis on molecular biology and I have also worked in a research lab investigating neural circuit formation in the model organism C. elegans.  My focus in the classroom is to bring real life data, hands on experience and to allow students to investigate and discover the world of science. This summer I am very excited to be back at my alma mater and am hoping to branch out and gain additional experience in research that I can bring back to the classroom to enhance my own curriculum. 

Josh Little - Henry M. Gunn High School

I currently teach biology at Henry M. Gunn High School in Palo Alto, California. Previously, I taught Science at Horner Junior High School in Fremont. I graduated from San Jose State University with a degree in biological sciences and chemistry in 2013 and a teaching credential. In addition, I earned an MS degree in Biology and am currently working towards a Ph.D. in Psychology with an emphasis in Cognition and Instruction. My dissertation is on teacher self-efficacy and science teaching self-efficacy in pre-service teachers. I chose to participate in the RET program to gain valuable insights into engineering so that I can implement more of it in the classroom. In my spare time, I like to hang out with my dog at the beach and exercise at OrangeTheory Fitness.

Katy Kuei - Mission San Jose High School

Katy Kuei, is a high school honors chemistry teacher in Fremont, CA. She holds both single and multiple subject credentials, as well as an administrative credential. Katy earned her Bachelor of Science and a Master of Music in Piano Performance. Throughout her teaching career, Katy has devoted her summers to furthering her content knowledge and engaging in experiences outside the classroom to advance her teaching practice. In 2006, she began with the Industry Initiatives for Science and Math Education (IISME) Summer Fellowship program. Since then, she has worked with NUMMI, Lockheed Martin, Applied Materials, and Stanford University in projects such as generating NUMMI environmental education materials, developing hands-on renewable energy activities such as solar cells and hydrogen fuel cells for high school students and Summer Teaching Institute ChemEX2 program at Stanford University for high school chemistry teachers. She has received three IISME innovation awards. Katy’s career highlights also include working for the Research Science Institute at Tsinghua University, Beijing.  She received numerous grants for incorporating computing with STEM course applications, such as EV3 robots, Brain Computer Interface, and Oculus virtual reality.  Her passion in teaching and commitment to bring computational thinking and technology to the 21st century classroom is evident.

Mark Helfenberger - Menlo-Atherton High School

Mark Helfenberger Graduated from UC Santa Cruz with a BS in Marine Biology. Afterwards he worked at the Moss Landing Marine Labs in the Benthic Ecology Lab as well as serving as a deckhand on the RV John Martin, while also attending CSU Monterey Bay for a Masters in Ocean Sciences. After leaving MLML, he pursued a teaching credential at CSUMB, working in Salinas High School, then moving to the San Jose Unified School district and working at Gunderson High School for 2 years. He then transferred to Menlo-Atherton High School in the Sequoia Union High School District, where this will be his 8th year. He currently teaches Biology, Chemistry, and AVID. He is married and has a 2 year old son and enjoys cooking and woodworking/carpentry. He is excited to return to research this summer and learn how to better incorporate practical science research into his classroom.

Rajinder Kaur - Evergreen Valley High School

I have been teaching in ESUHSD for the past 17 years. I have taught Physics, Chemistry, and math at Santa Teresa High School. Then  I transferred to Evergreen Valley High School. I currently teach Math Analysis and MRWC at EV. Prior to that, I taught middle school science and math for two years. I try to incorporate math games and hands-on activities in my lessons. It was a heartwarming and proud moment when one of my students gave me the best math teacher trophy this year. Being a teacher gives me an outlet for exploration and creativity. Teachers are called to be lifelong learners and constantly expanding their knowledge on the subject they teach. I have a passion to explore and learn new ideas and bring those ideas to my classroom. Research gives me a way to pursue this passion and I found this opportunity to be exciting. This program will support me to provide students with hands-on learning experiences and critical thinking skills. I can share the advancement of my knowledge with my students through the lessons and activities. My hope is that many of the skills that I will learn during this program are transferable to my curriculum. My hobbies are cooking, gardening, and hiking. 

Stephanie Arcia - Overfelt High School 

My name is Stephanie Arcia and I teach General Chemistry and AP Chemistry at W. C. Overfelt High School in the eastside of San Jose. I am also an alumni of Overfelt (Class of 2014) and it has been a joyous experience transitioning from a student benefiting from the community into a teacher giving back to the community. I fell in love with chemistry in high school and decided to major in chemistry here at SJSU. Working in the lab has always been a passion of mine, second to teaching. Being able to share the creativity and challenge of lab work with my students has been a fulfilling experience. When I am not in the classroom I am coaching the cheerleading team at Overfelt, and when I finally leave campus I go home to two beautiful loving cats, Bella & Beau.  

Sushma Bana - Monta Vista High School  

I have been teaching Math, Physics and AVID at Monta Vista High School in Cupertino. I have a Master’s Degree in Physics from University of Delhi, India and another Master’s in Education from San Jose State University. Before becoming a teacher I worked in the industry for about 8 years. My goal as a teacher is to leverage my experience and education to equip students with content knowledge and 21st century skills - the ability to look for information and process the same into knowledge. To achieve this by creating a culturally sensitive environment of accountability, equity and high expectations while addressing achievement gaps through instruction, mentoring and cross –curricular collaboration. Outside of the classroom, I love to travel, hike, listen to old Hindi film music and read. I joined RET to gain some valuable research experience and real life applications of some science concepts that I can then share with my students in the classroom.

Taruna Khanna - Palo Alto High School

I am currently teaching at Palo Alto High School in Palo Alto, California. Prior to working in education, I was in the biotechnology industry for over 9 years and involved in SEL programs for middle and elementary schools. I have taught integrated science and Earth science in middle school before switching to teach biology honors and chemistry in high school. I have a masters degree in Microbiology and Molecular genetics from University of California, Los Angeles and Masters in Teaching from University of Southern California. I have always enjoyed research and hope to bring the connections of “real life” solutions into the classroom through the SJSU RET program for my students. My family and I enjoy traveling and trying different foods across the globe.

Jen Long - Lincoln High School 

I currently teach at Lincoln High School in San Jose. I have worked at San Jose Unified School District for 24 years. I have worked in every grade level, and have been an administrator, EL/Intervention coach, teacher across six schools or programs. Most recently, I spent eight years as the Plus (drop out prevention) teacher, where I did English, Gov/Econ and American History, as well as Credit Recovery in every subject. Last year I finished my Secondary Science Credential and taught Freshmen Biology for the first time. Feedback from students was mostly focused around their enthusiasm for Lab Days. I feel like I have unlocked a Life Goal Achievement, I am so excited to teach my science classes. I hope to develop a curriculum and labs that encourages that enthusiasm, while developing collaborative research skills my students can use to help them flourish in college and the real world. I also coach Girls Flag Football at Lincoln. I live next to SJSU and walk here everyday. Finally, my son just graduated from Lincoln, and will be attending UCSC for Educational Policy and Reform. I also have a daughter who lives near Yosemite, where I spend most weekends.

Ian Martin-Fodor - William C. Overfelt High School

I teach physics at Overfelt High School in east side San Jose.  I graduated from San Jose State University with a degree in Biology and then returned to earn my teaching credential.  I learned that I wanted to become a teacher through my experience tutoring high school students in math and science for many years via the AVID program, especially at Santa Clara High School.  I have taught biology, chemistry, physics, and forensics at different times over the last five years since earning my credential.  I am excited to participate in the RET program both for my own opportunity to learn, and for the chance to bring current research laboratory science experience to my students.  Outside of school, I love playing bass and guitar, trying out cooking new foods, and spending time with my partner and my cats.