Shormila Roy Choudhury, HS Environmental Society Systems and Health Teacher
In constant pursuit of why
Laura Martinez, Staff Writer
“I was always fascinated by the question, 'Why?'”
Why do animals move like this? Why do stars look like this? Why do black holes work like this?
Since she was a child, High School IB Environmental Systems and Society (ESS) and Health Teacher Shormila Roy Choudhury loved the challenge of “figuring out why.”
As a child, she loved to play outdoors, visit the zoo, and travel to other countries with her family. Inspired by her mother's dream of becoming a veterinarian and her high school biology teacher's engaging and humorous approach to science, Shormila chose to pursue biology and mathematics.
“My love of science grew from being someone who loved to explore,” she said. “I also had encouraging teachers. I would have never realized that I was really good at math and science unless they had told me that I could go far.”
With a full scholarship to Queen’s University in Canada, Shormila studied biology and ecology with a minor in mathematics. She was also awarded full scholarships for her master’s and doctoral studies at the University of Cambridge, specializing in human genetics and epidemiology within the realm of biological anthropology. Following her studies, Shormila became a professor at Durham University and Cambridge.
In 2005, she relocated to Brazil, where she helped establish a research database on avian influenza at the Pan American Health Agency, the regional office of the World Health Organization (WHO).
After two years at the WHO, Shormila missed being in the classroom. She found Graded through a Google search, and although a biology position wasn't available, she was offered a job teaching middle and high school health. When the school implemented the IB ESS Program, she transitioned to a full high school teaching load.
As a faculty member, Shormila encourages students to appreciate the world's beauty through scientific exploration.
“Math and science are beautiful; our world is beautiful,” she said. “And what better way to appreciate that beauty than by studying it, protecting it, and making a future for it?”
Shormila on the importance of pursuing a career in science today:There are so many huge challenges for human populations. When it comes to disease… When it comes to protecting the environment… When it comes to maintaining stable societies and deciding how we allocate shared resources—whether that’s food, water, medicine, or natural resources. We need engaged people involved in that decision-making. We need people who are educated enough to make these really important decisions. |
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