Felix Sandifer

Is Science a Verb?

“Science is a verb in the sense that it is a method (activity) involving the making of hypotheses, the design of experiments and the analysis of data.  But a critical part of the scientific process is the conversation phase after the experimentation is done.  Scientists share their findings with the broader community through publications or presentations at meetings.  What happens next is a back-and-forth discussion including a critique of methods or interpretation, and a comparison with previous findings.  

If there are flaws in the experimental design or interpretation, other scientists will point that out.  To participate in the conversation, scientists need to be willing to hear and respond to feedback. If there are conflicting results, it may require additional hypothesis making and experimentation.  Only when the conversation runs its course do the conclusions become a part of accepted scientific understanding.” 

Source: https://www.science20.com/agricultural_realism/science_is_a_verb-153242

About Me

I was born and raised in the Bay Area. I enjoy fishing, tide pooling, chess and cooking. I attended UC Davis and CSU Hayward (currently CSU East Bay). I received my degree in Biological Sciences and started my career working at Mendel Biotechnology, a functional genomics company in Hayward. With an interest in DNA sequencing, I joined the Biomolecular Resource Center at UCSF where I managed the DNA sequencing facility at Parnassus.  I spent several years there but was provided an opportunity to learn Korean at Yonsei University in Seoul. I planned to stay for only 2 years, but met my wife and plans changed. I was in Korea for 16 years and during that time, I taught EFL (English as a Foreign Language) to Korean students. I also opened my own academy and provided education consulting for Korean students working to study in the United States. I came back to the United States in 2016 with my wife and two children and joined and graduated from the MA Teaching program at USF. 

 I have high expectations for my students as well as parents and guardians.  I believe in student responsibility and in teaching my students to be advocates for themselves.  Science and life are about experimenting and making mistakes.  Scientists learn from experimenting and making mistakes to advance their research.  Moreover, I want to create a classroom culture where students feel safe to take risks and enjoy productive struggle. To better foster this culture, students will be expected to be respectful and supportive of their peers.

Clubs

I currently serve as advisor for the following lunch recess clubs:

G2-G3 Mattos Checkmate Chess Club

G4-G5 Mattos Checkmate Chess Club

G4-G5 Robotics Club