Shawn Cole-Woods

He/Him

I’m gay and I’m a physics educator and molecular sciences and nanotechnology PhD candidate. //

I completed my undergraduate studies in physics and mathematics (pre-med), as planned when I finished high school. My intention was to become a pediatrician/OBGYN, although my path changed when I fell in love with computational engineering (biology- and chemistry-based), because it gave me an opportunity, as an at-my-core artist, to create pretty pictures using science. I completed a 5-year-long study on ligand-independent and -dependent therapy for estrogenic cancers, blending time between my undergrad and graduate studies. Currently, I’m a PhD candidate in molecular sciences and nanotechnology studying catalyst design and engineering for enhanced proton exchange membrane fuel cell performance. Since 2006, though, I found my passion in education, transitioning from being a physics tutor to educator and research coach in K-though-college classrooms. The taboo of the science fuels me. I find fulfillment in interrogating life with my students through the languages and lenses of math and science. Every day, I challenge myself to hold a space for my students to explore safely, collaboratively, and dynamically while drawing connections that are relative to their life. After all, what’s learning if we can’t find ourselves in it?

https://www.linkedin.com/in/shawnacole/