BioGENEius Challenge Announces 2019 Mentor of the Year Awardee

WASHINGTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Today, the Biotechnology Institute announced the winner of the Mentor of
the Year Award, who will be recognized next week at the 2019 BIO
International Convention in Philadelphia.

Dr. Cristobal Carambo is a chemistry teacher at the Philadelphia High
School for Girls in Philadelphia in addition to a teacher leader at the
Teacher’s Institute of Philadelphia at the University of Pennsylvania.
He also serves as a member of the National Steering Committee of the
Yale National Initiative and was the 2017 recipient of the Lindback
Foundation Award for Distinguished Teaching.

Dr. Carambo chose to become a science educator because he believes that
science and technology are central to our understanding of the world in
which we live – and more importantly for his students – and the future
worlds that we have yet to imagine. He supports the study of science
because it challenges and improves students’ critical thinking, reading
and writing skills, and requires communication in highly specific
language. He considers science to be an essential discipline because it
is where an inquisitive mind can find answers to nearly all questions
relating to the natural world.

“If the answer is not within our accumulated body of scientific
knowledge, then science provides the inductive or deductive reasoning
methodologies with which we can use to investigate possible solutions
and create new knowledge,” said Dr. Carambo.

Dr. Carambo’s own educational experiences have reinforced his belief in
the importance of STEM education for underrepresented populations,
especially when so many facets of society are being upended by
technological innovation. He is most concerned that students in the
inner city may be caught off guard by the pace of change and unable to
keep up. For these reasons, he sees STEM to be an indispensable facet of
teaching because it will equip students with the intellectual skills and
knowledge they will need to achieve their life goals.

“Dr. Carambo’s personal educational achievements are perhaps exceeded
only by his dedication to advancing young women’s interest in STEM
careers,” said Dr. Larry Mahan, President of the Biotechnology
Institute. “For this we are proud to honor him with this award.”

A native of Cuba, Dr. Carambo holds a Bachelor of Science degree from
Florida International University. He also obtained a Master of Science
Education degree from Florida State University after teaching bilingual
science in Miami for five years. He moved with his family to
Philadelphia and in 2000 joined a research program at University City
High School with Dr. Kenneth Tobin of the University of Pennsylvania.
His research into the sociocultural dimensions of urban science
education earned him a Master of Chemistry Education degree from the
University of Pennsylvania in 2006. He continued his research and was
awarded a Doctor of Philosophy in science from Curtin University in
2011. Dr. Carambo continues to teach science for Philadelphia Public
Schools and has worked as adjunct lecturer at the University of
Pennsylvania, Drexel University and Queen’s College in New York City.

About the Biotechnology Institute

The Biotechnology Institute is an independent, national nonprofit
organization dedicated to education about the present and future impact
of biotechnology. Its mission is to engage, excite and educate the
public, particularly students and teachers, about biotechnology and its
immense potential for solving human health, food and environmental
problems. For more information, visit www.biotechinstitute.org.

Contacts

Quinta Jackson
Biotechnology Institute
[email protected]