# Virtual Scientist in a Classroom ## expand\_more **Recommended for grades 6-9.** **Reservations are open for programs through June 2026.** Want your students to meet a practicing scientist? Here’s your chance! Invite a Harvard Science Education Partner into your classroom! #### How to Set Up a Virtual Scientist in a Classroom Visit with a Harvard Science Education Partner: - Teacher reviews Science Education Partner presenters (see below) - [Teacher completes this form with a choice of dates and times](https://harvard.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_eXndkm1YvH8g0fA) - The museum contacts the teacher to discuss details - The museum sends a confirmation email and an introductory video for advance classroom viewing - Approximately one week in advance, the teacher contacts the Science Education Partner to confirm details - Teacher sends video conferencing link to the Science Education Partner - On the reserved day and time, the Science Education Partner joins classroom video conference ## Program Description What does it mean to be a scientist? What are scientists studying today? How do you become a scientist? How can science help us understand the world? Harvard Science Education Partners can answer these questions and more! Science Education Partners are Harvard graduate students and postdoctoral fellows who study a variety of STEM topics including biology, paleontology, botany, Earth science, and genetics. Invite a Science Education Partner into your class to discuss their research and their passion for science. Each Science Education Partner will share a short video in advance about their work and respond to student questions via video conference. ![Group cataloguing specimens.](/sites/g/files/omnuum4986/files/styles/hwp_1_1__720x720_scale/public/hmnh/files/karma_webinar_01.jpg?itok=Pwczyu-5) #### Harvard Science Education Partners and Their Topics Open all sections Close all sections ### Val Aguilar: Uncovering Earth's Ancient Mysteries expand\_more ![Portrait of scientist Val Aguilar.](/sites/g/files/omnuum4986/files/styles/hwp_1_1__360x360_scale/public/hmnh/files/val_auilgar.jpg?itok=Jj5fYYpe) Embark on a journey back to Earth’s earliest days, when it was bombarded by huge asteroids. As a geologist, I study the oldest extraterrestrial impact events in the rock record. Together, we'll explore their geologic evidence and their effects on the planet's surface. We'll piece together the story of Earth's survival. These ancient rocks, like time capsules, reveal how natural disasters shaped prehistoric landscapes and influenced the origins of life. Along the way, you'll learn fundamental science concepts, including deep time, stratigraphy, and how rocks form. Get ready to be an Earth detective and uncover clues to our planet's ancient history! ### Collin Cherubim: How to Find an Exoplanet expand\_more ![Harvard student, Collin Cherubim, smiling.](/sites/g/files/omnuum4986/files/styles/hwp_1_1__360x360_scale/public/hmnh/files/collin_cherubim_for_web.jpg?itok=o2aEQeKq) Join me on a journey through the galaxy to explore the tantalizing field of exoplanets. You’ll learn how scientists in this exciting new branch of astronomy discover and characterize other worlds and even look for alien life! Along the way, I offer a glimpse into the real-world scientific method and invite viewers to think like a scientist. ### Dan Crocker: Space Rocks and the Origin of Life expand\_more ![Dan Crocker inside of a cave.](/sites/g/files/omnuum4986/files/styles/hwp_1_1__360x360_scale/public/hmnh/files/dan_crocker.png?itok=RZuIoM08) Join me as we discuss one of science’s greatest mysteries: how did life originate on Earth? We will discuss the chemical ingredients that are necessary for life, and will travel back in time to explore how these ingredients may have formed on early Earth. We will discuss whether rocks from outer space may have contributed to the development of life on Earth and how scientists have progressed toward answering this question. ### Sophie Everbach: Reach for the Sky: How trees grow towards light expand\_more ![Sophie Everbach standing outside in front of trees.](/sites/g/files/omnuum4986/files/styles/hwp_1_1__360x360_scale/public/hmnh/files/sophie_everbach.jpg?itok=mRtbncJ8) How does a tree “move” to get the resources it needs to grow and survive? Join me in investigating the tree “muscle,” a special kind of wood that allows the tree to keep its body strong as it forages for light. Get a peek inside my greenhouse and lab and all the tools I use to study trees! ### Juan Orozco: Running, Swimming, and Squirming: Chemicals That Make You Move expand\_more ![Man standing in front of tree](/sites/g/files/omnuum4986/files/styles/hwp_1_1__360x360_scale/public/2025-09/Copy%20of%20Juan_headshot2.png?itok=o_PCvEWL) Whether escaping from predators in the wild or just playing on a sports team, coordination is key. No matter the animal, knowing how to move is extremely important. But, even the smallest changes at the molecular level can affect this coordination. Join me as I explore how changing tiny chemical components in neurons can completely alter how animals move. ### Thalles Pereira: How to Help a Scientist Find a New Species expand\_more ![Portrait of scientist Thalles Pereira.](/sites/g/files/omnuum4986/files/styles/hwp_1_1__360x360_scale/public/hmnh/files/thalles_pereira_image.jpg?itok=1h1AtPPd) Scientists estimate that there are over 7.5 million species of plants and animals that have yet to be described. But in a world where extinction may outpace discovery, how can citizen-scientists get involved? Join me as I share how residents in Alaska helped me discover and describe a new species of snakeworm gnat and learn how you, too, can participate in the scientific process. ### Olivia Reilly: How to Read a Dog's Mind expand\_more ![Portait of scientist Olivia Reilly.](/sites/g/files/omnuum4986/files/styles/hwp_1_1__360x360_scale/public/hmnh/files/olivia_reilly_image.jpg?itok=Y4_-B9bs) Having a strong friendship with your dog might help you to feel less stressed, but is the same pattern true for your dog? Dogs benefit humans in many ways, but we don't know as much about how dogs are influenced by us. Join me for a discussion of how we study both sides of child-dog friendships, and how we answer the question of how your dog really feels about you. ### Carlos Rivera-Lopez: How to Grow a New Head/Cómo Crecer una Cabeza Nueva expand\_more ![Scientist, Carlos Rivera-Lopez standing in front of a tree.](/sites/g/files/omnuum4986/files/styles/hwp_1_1__360x360_scale/public/hmnh/files/carlos_rivera-lopez.jpg?itok=PI_Zw_1Q) Many animals can regrow tissues, such as skin, when injury happens. However, some animals can regenerate entire parts of their body if they lose them, even a brand new head with a mouth and a brain! How does this happen? Join me as we explore how some animals, like the three-banded panther worm, Hofstenia miamia, can offer us a way of understanding how this regeneration happens. Cómo Crecer una Cabeza Nueva Muchos animales tienen la capacidad de regenerar tejidos en su cuerpo, como la piel, cuando las heridas ocurren en esas áreas. Sin embargo, algunos animales pueden regenerar partes enteras de su cuerpo cuando heridas grandes ocurren, ¡así como volver a regenerar una cabeza con su boca y cerebro! ¿Cómo ocurre esto? Acompáñame a explorar cómo algunos animales, como el gusano pantera de tres bandas, Hofstenia miamia, nos ofrece la oportunidad de entender cómo este tipo de regeneración ocurre. ### Julius Tabin: The Zombie Apocalypse Happening in Your Backyard expand\_more ![julius tabin smiling.](/sites/g/files/omnuum4986/files/styles/hwp_1_1__360x360_scale/public/hmnh/files/julius_tabin.png?itok=mfGnIZHe) If you think zombies are just a work of fiction, think again! Every day, all around us, tiny fruit flies are being infected by a fungus that gets into their brain, taking them over and controlling their behavior. The fungus manipulates the fly to crawl upwards to a high point, so the fungus can then burst out of the fly, raining down to infect more victims. Join me to learn more about the life cycle of this zombie infection and the techniques scientists are using to study it. ### Maya Waarts: What Does the Mitotic Spindle Feel Like? expand\_more ![maya waarts smiling.](/sites/g/files/omnuum4986/files/styles/hwp_1_1__360x360_scale/public/hmnh/files/maya_waarts.jpg?itok=1ztot6Hw) Every day, there are about 2 trillion cell divisions in your body, facilitated by a tiny but mighty molecular machine: the mitotic spindle. Join me as I walk through what we know about the spindle and how we know it. You will also see a peek into the lab as I explain the experiments I am doing to characterize the spindle’s physical properties: namely how hard or soft or squishy it is. ### Yangfan Zhang: Fish Athletes expand\_more ![Harvard student, Yangfan Zhang, smiling.](/sites/g/files/omnuum4986/files/styles/hwp_1_1__360x360_scale/public/hmnh/files/yangfan_zhang_for_web.jpg?itok=GuH2_Efs) How much energy do fish use as they swim through the ocean? How does that change if the environment changes? Answering these questions not only helps me understand the basic biology of fish but also helps guide us as we make policy decisions about climate change and human food supply. #### Fee The program is free to all groups of ten or more at schools nationwide through June 2026. You will be asked to complete a brief online evaluation after your program. Scout troops, after-school programs, camps, and extracurricular learning pods may book a program for a $25 fee for 10–50 youths. Payment in full is required one week before the program. #### Duration Harvard Scientist in a Classroom videos are approximately ten minutes long and should be screened before the live virtual discussion. Live virtual classroom visits are thirty minutes long. #### About the Harvard Science Education Partners Scientist in a Classroom presenters have completed our Science Education Partners program, which prepares scientists to talk about their research with public audiences in a way that is engaging, understandable, relevant, and inspires curiosity. They are graduate students and post-doctoral fellows who are passionate about sharing their love of science and inspiring others to see themselves as scientists and make science a part of their daily lives. Each has their own story of how they became interested in and have progressed in their chosen field and most are advanced in their studies with several years of lab or fieldwork experience. #### Benefit for Presenters Speaking to your students is also an opportunity for Science Education Partners. Many teach college classes using college-level language. But in the field, to the media, and in grant proposals, they need to use everyday language to explain what they are trying to learn, how they will undertake their work, and how it may help the community. Developing these professional skills with your students improves their own career prospects.