Patti Carothers
Patti Carothers Professional Biography
Patti received her Bachelors of Science in Biological science concentration in systems physiology and a second Bachelor of Arts in Health Sciences concentration in health professions from SJSU. She earned her Secondary Education Teaching Credential from SJSU and CLAD certification. She has additionally completed graduate work in research and field studies in epidemiology and marine and environmental biology.
Patti has over 38 years of high school science teaching and curriculum development experience. She recently retired as a science teacher at Monte Vista High School in Danville, CA San Ramon Valley Unified School District where she taught all levels of biology (AP, Accelerated, and College Prep), Health Science, Anatomy & Physiology while serving as science department chair and BTSA coach.
Patti is an LLNL Science Education Fellow and project developer and coordinator of Science Fair 101 a program with two cohort strands; one that through hands on inquiry based experiences prepares students for independent research leading to a science fair project and the other strand prepares teachers to mentor student research projects and develop inquiry based curriculum. Her other work at LLNL currently includes serving on the Tri Valley Science and Engineering Fair Internal Review Board (IRB), and as master teacher for the STAR (Science Teachers and Researchers) program sponsored by Cal Poly San Luis Obispo CESME program
Patti is the co-founder of Science Alliance, an after school science project mentoring program that trains over 300 students a year in the high schools as mentors to 5th through 8th grade students doing research projects for their school and local science fairs.
For the past 15 years Patti has mentored students and teachers in all aspects of science fair project research and science curriculum development. She has mentored 5 Tri Valley Science and Engineering Fair Sweepstakes winners and 5 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair competitors and winners.
She has served as NIH Research Project Teacher for the San Joaquin County Office of Education “Drug Abuse Research Team”, Director/Excursion leader Costa Rica Summer Research via Save the Rainforests, Inc., AAUW Girls on the Bay project leader for the National Northwest Girls Collaborative, Contra Costa County Clean Water Program curriculum development and serves on the San Ramon Valley Education Foundation Endowment Board.
Recently Patti founded A+ Pro Tutoring which offers help to students who may be struggling to understand life science concepts relative to AP, honors, or regular biology, environmental science or those looking for expert help with their science fair project.
Patti has amassed many teaching awards including Region IV Northern California Educator of the Year, Who’s Who among American High School Teachers, UCSD Outstanding Teacher, National Teachers Honor Roll and Warren Eukel Teacher Trust High School Teacher of the Year and was the 2006-2007 Contra Costa County Teacher of the Year.