Elise MorganScience Center Director/Elementary Science Specialist
[email protected]
Elise took on the position of Science Center Director/Elementary Science Specialist in the fall of 2014. Prior to working in Needham, Elise was Professional Development Provider for the Museum of Science Boston, working on the Engineering is Elementary curriculum. She also has over ten years experience teaching in middle school and multi-grade classrooms. Elise received her Master's in Environmental Science from Antioch New England Graduate School in Keene, NH and her undergraduate degree in Biology at Earlham College, in Indiana.
Elise is passionate about STEM education and believes in the power of teachers to ignite student's curiosity in the universe and the human-made world. She strives to make science a subject that captures student interest and helps them see the connection to other subjects. She also sees the importance of building students' technological literacy, and wants students to understand how scientists and engineers deeply affect the world they live in. She is excited to be part of the Needham community and is working to make the Science Center an accessible, inviting and modern resource for teachers, students and their families.
Julie PerilloScience Coach
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Julie was a teacher for 22 years before transitioning into instructional coaching. She also founded a free after-school science program that continues to provide hands-on scientific exploration and discovery to elementary school children. Julie is passionate about joyful teaching and learning that is accessible to all students, regardless of backgrounds, experiences or challenges. She served on the Massachusetts Commission for Safe and Supportive Schools for two years, advocating for Commonwealth schools to do the important work of creating supportive learning environments that honor all students and set the stage for equitable and engaging learning. Julie is thrilled to be joining the Needham Public Schools' Science Center!
Kate Schulein
Program Specialist
Kate joined the Science Center in the fall of 2019. She has been a classroom teacher, elementary science specialist and an educator in the Discovery Center at the Museum of Science. Kate is excited to return to Needham where she previously taught 4th grade at Newman Elementary. She looks forward to supporting teachers in their science instruction and leading programs for elementary scientists throughout the district.
Anna Kohlman
Program Specialist
Anna is a Program Specialist at Newman Science Center, where she leads programs and field trips for students in Needham. With a background in middle school science, she is eager to apply her expertise in environmental science to the elementary level. She holds a Bachelor's in Elementary Education from Roger Williams University and a Master’s in Middle School Science from Cambridge College. She is passionate about science education across all grade levels, and is committed to fostering curiosity and engagement in STEM. At the Needham Science Center, Anna looks forward to leveraging her science knowledge to inspire young learners and enhance their educational experiences. Outside of work, Anna enjoys kayaking on local rivers and bays, where she delights in observing wildlife. She also loves beachcombing, particularly searching for ocean animals along the shore and in tide pools. Her favorite to find are molted crab shells!
Shannon Brown
Program Assistant
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Shannon joins the Science Center after serving as an elementary school English teacher in Taiwan. Previously, she has worked in elementary education in India, Madagascar, and Laos, and was also a Girls Who Code and Girls Robotics instructor for students ages 8-18 in the greater Philadelphia area. She is passionate about equitable STEM education and providing hands-on learning opportunities for students of all backgrounds!
_thumb.jpg "Animal caregiver (Magnus)")
Magnus Handwerker
Animal Caregiver
Magnus joined the Science Center in April 2023. He has been feeding, watering, grooming, bathing, exercising and showing much love to our animals ever since.
Thank you, Magnus!
Our History
Psst: Are you in any of these photos? If you are, please call the Science Center. We'd love to hear from you!
Norman Harris
First Science Center Director
The Needham Science Center began as an idea in the mind of former Needham Public Schools' Superintendent, William Powers. Mr. Powers wanted to see "exciting" science happen in the Needham classrooms.
He noticed visitors to the Boston Museum of Science returning again and again to experience more science. He envisioned using a "museum approach" to make science "come alive" for students and teachers in the schools. Mr. Powers convinced Norman Harris, the renowned Director of Education and early television personality of the Museum of Science, to try this approach in Needham. Intrigued by the possibilities, Mr. Harris agreed to the experiment and the Needham Science Center was established in 1964.
Larry White
Larry White, physical science whiz, magician, author, and Supervisor of Programs and Courses at the Museum of Science joined Mr. Harris in Needham in 1965. The first three years were government funded but the success of the program inspired the town to add the Science Center to the school budget.
After Mr. Harris's 1978 retirement, Larry White became Director. He hired Dan DeWolf, then Science Specialist for the Newton Public Schools, as Assistant Director. For the next 20 years the team of White and DeWolf, together with their staffers, kept the Needham Science Center in the national limelight.
Thanks to the inspirational leadership of Larry White and Dan DeWolf, a Needham High School graduate, John Papadonis, went on to establish
The Burlington Science Center, in Burlington, MA. Our "sister" science center celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2014.
Dan DeWolf
Master Craftsman and Taxidermist
In 1998 Mr. DeWolf became Director upon Mr. White's retirement.
Sadly, both Norm Harris and Larry White died in 2009.
Anne Schloder
In 2001, Mr. DeWolf handed the reins over to then Science Center staffer, Anne Schloder.
Ms. Schloder, a 14-year veteran of the Burlington Science Center, showed Needham staff and students alike how to have fun while studying science. Under Ms. Schloder's direction, the Science Center supported Needham's science curriculum with top-notch programs, kits, and activities. Ms. Schloder led the way in creating curriculum-based science activities to accompany new structures in Needham schools, such as Mitchell's cold frame and Broadmeadow's kinetic science sculpture.
Mary Rizzuto
Opened the Science Center to the Public
In 2007, Ms. Mary Rizzuto was hired to serve as both Science Center Director and Elementary Science Curriculum Specialist. Ms. Rizzuto, was charged with aligning the Needham Public Schools elementary science curriculum to the Massachusetts frameworks and establishing an inquiry-based kindergarten through grade 5 curriculum sequence. She was asked to open the doors of the Science Center to the public, welcome support from the community and provide an active link between science in the schools and the wider community. Perhaps "Ms. Mary's" most popular innovation is
Family Science Night, a district-wide event filled with interactive displays, activities, and workshops.
"Ms. Mary" came from the Cambridge Public Schools, where she served as a classroom teacher and a Grade K-6 Science Specialist. Mary's background also includes extensive experience as a teacher researcher and adjunct professor. Mary's brought with her a belief in collaboration, a deep respect for the craft of classroom teaching, a delight in children's inquisitiveness, a desire to get students outdoors, and a passion for inquiry science and engineering.
The Needham Science Center has received many recognitions including the once a year Pacemaker Award. It was involved in commercial educational programming (Classroom-5, Science Countdown, Observing Eye, Kid's Thing, TV High School, Earth Lab, Body Works). The Center won an ACT (Action for Children's Television) award, the Ohio State Award for TV Excellence, "Excellence in Science Education" by the National Science Foundation, and a "Class Act" award by WHDH-TV. Both Larry White and Dan DeWolf were inducted into the Massachusetts Hall of Fame for Science Educators.
Our Center received additional national recognition when it was featured in the "American Scene" pages of TIME magazine for April 4, l988 (Vol. 131, No. 14). We also authored magazine articles, National Engineering Week materials, National Science Week posters for the National Science Foundation and were featured in their newsletter "Directions". We have participated on numerous advisory boards and hosted workshops at the Center for national conferences.
During the 2006-2007 school year, the Science Center made the news again when, together with the Town of Needham Public Works Department, the Center received the Public Educator Award from the New England Water Environment Association. To support the DPW's mandate to educate students on storm water issues, the Science Center created an auditorium presentation titled "Oh No! Not Down The Drain!" Over 2000 elementary students viewed the show, which starred the entire Science Center staff and a DPW employee. After watching the presentation, every student had the opportunity to explore several DPW trucks.
Since 1964 our Center has worked with well over 100,000 Needham students and 1200 Needham teachers, providing Natural History, Biology, Physical Science, Earth & Space Science and Applied Science education of the highest caliber. We remain committed to making science "Come Alive" in the Needham Public Schools.