Carlmont High Brings Scientists to Campus

When Carlmont High teacher Kristina Doss was approached with the idea of bringing different Bay Area scientists to the Carlmont campus to speak to students, she instantly recognized how beneficial such talks could be to students. 

“I thought it was a fantastic idea,” Doss said.

Doss worked with Claes Gustafsson, a co-founder of DNA2.0, his wife, and fellow Carlmont teacher Dan Raffa to create what has become the Carlmont Science Department Guest Lecture Series. 

Doss, who has been at Carlmont for 12 years and teaches both AP Biology and biotechnology, feels that bringing a wide-range of scientists to campus each year gives Carlmont  students an opportunity to learn about science careers they may not know exist.

There are Carlmont students who know they want to pursue careers in science, but are unsure what specialties are open to them, Doss said. She said bringing scientists from a variety of fields ensures there will be a speaker that every student can enjoy and learn from.

“I saw it as a great way for students to get perspective from different
scientists,” Doss said.

On Wednesday, Dan Whaley comes to Carlmont to speak to students about the effect climate change is having on the world’s oceans.

Whaley is the founder and CEO of San Francisco-based Climos, a company exploring ways to remove CO2 from the atmosphere.

In 1994, Whaley developed the online ordering system for Waiters on Wheels, enabling transactions to be handled online. He later co-founded the online travel reservation company, Internet Travel Network, which evolved into GetThere.com, before being sold to the Sabre Group.

Doss said the guest lecture series was conceived with the idea that Bay Area scientists would help broaden Carlmont student’s understanding of different science careers available to them.

“It’s a way for students to see what sciences are out there,” Doss said. “Each year we try to get a well rounded group of scientists.”

Started during the 2010-2011 school year, the guest lecture series has enabled the scientists involved to give back to the next generation of scientists.

The lecture on Wednesday will be the second of a planned six this year.

“The goal is to expose students to as many different scientists as possible,” Doss said.

   If You Go

When: Wednesday October 12 from 7:00 to 8:30 pm. Doors
open at 6:45 pm.

Where: Carlmont Performing Arts Center

Cost: FREE and open to entire Carlmont community.