Meet Our Science on the Go Instructors
Dr. Ajifolokun is a veterinarian who has extensive teaching and animal care experience. Prior to joining U of I Extension, he was an adjunct professor of biology for the Colleges of Chicago. He has worked in animal production, technical sales and as a public health officer. He has a doctorate of veterinary medicine from the University of Ibadan in Nigeria. Among topics he will be teaching are Microbes and You, Vital Signs, and Rat Dissection.
Leilah McNabb joins Extension from Harvard Medical School where she managed technology development contracts and advised students on science career opportunities. She has received several professional honors, including a Research Service Award from the National Institutes of Health, a Fontaine Fellowship from the University of Pennsylvania, and was named a Mayo Minority Scholar. McNabb earned her PhD from the University of Pennsylvania in pharmacology sciences and her bachelor's degree in cell and molecular biology from Tulane University. For Science on the Go, she will be teaching Life in Space, Genes: Your Hidden Instruction Manual, Excellent Adventures, Fun With Color, and Bio Crimestoppers.
Karen Meyer is a former high school mathematics teacher. In 2004, she received the Emerson Award for Excellence in classroom teaching in her school district (Ladue, Missouri). She earned her bachelor's degree in mathematics from Valparaiso University and a master's in counseling from the University of Missouri. She will be teaching lessons on probability, pattern matching, how to use a graphing calculator, and paper towers.
Kenya Thomas has experience as a lab technician, medical technician and clinical technician. She will focus on food science education. Her Science on the Go topics include: Starch Detectective, Acids and Bases, White Powder Chemistry, Mapping Your Tongue, and the Sugar Eater. She received both her master's degree in nutrition sciences and her bachelor's degree in food science and human nutrition from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
John Van Horn joins U of I Extension from the Teachers Academy for Math and Science (TAMS) in Chicago. He has experience in various areas including health physics and nuclear power emergency response. His Science on the Go programs will focus on astronomy topics including: Investigating Black Holes, Differential Heating of Land and Water, the Greenhouse Effect and Electromagnetic Spectrum and Spectroscopy.
