Sandy Roberts is the Education Program Manager at Science Friday, where she creates learning resources, content, and experiences to advance STEM equity in all learning environments.
Sandy earned her degree in chemical biology from Stevens Institute of Technology with a minor in literature and certificates in chemical engineering and computer science. After working in both pharmaceutical research and publishing, she transitioned her career to education when she started a family.
Since then, Sandy has taught formally as a middle school STEM teacher with certifications in science and math and informally at local libraries, homeschool co-ops, museums, and camps. She’s also offered professional development to educators through various venues, including Rutgers University, where she earned a graduate certificate in Maker Education. Sandy completed her M.A. in Community Based Education and Leadership with a focus on STEM education at Stevenson University.
Sandy has participated in and presented at Maker Faires along the East Coast since 2012 where she has won numerous awards for her educational activities. Channeling the Maker Movement into education, she has overseen the development of three makerspaces, written The Big Book of Maker Camp Projects (McGraw-Hill 2019), and served as Maker Camp Coordinator and Community Manager for Make: Magazine. Sandy currently sits on the Executive Board for New Jersey Makers Day.
Sandy has spoken at events such as the Make: Education Forum, the National Science Teachers Association National Conference, the AFT Share My Lesson Virtual Conference, the New Jersey Educational Technology Conference, the Canadian Association of Science Centres Annual Conference, and the STEMM Opportunity Alliance White House Summit on STEMM Equity and Excellence. In 2024, Sandy’s work at Science Friday was recognized as a Falling Walls Science Engagement Winner and presented at the Falling Walls Summit in Berlin.
When not teaching or writing, Sandy can be found tinkering in her home office, exploring the outdoors, or spending time with her family—sometimes all three at once. Lately she’s been playing with origami circuits, relearning micro-python, and trying to perfect a gluten-free sourdough recipe.
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With careful observations while watching wasps, you can discover their favorite foods and use that to make your picnics more pleasant.
Join Our Ship-To-Shore Livestream And Talk To An Ocean Scientist
On June 27, talk to ocean scientists and ask your questions in a special ship-to-shore livestream from the ocean floor.
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Celebrate Cephalopod Week with our free kit full of party tips, mind-blowing videos, book suggestions, and fun STEM activities.
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AI For STEM Education
Enhance STEM education with resources and discussions that investigate the world of artificial intelligence, chatbots, and machine learning.
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Design a frog species of your own as you learn about the many ways frogs and toads adapt to their environment.
How Young Learners Engaged With Sun Science At Home
A virtual camp with live Q&A and hands-on activities led to nearly 2,700 children learning about the physics of the solar system.
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April is Citizen Science Month and Science Friday is an official partner! Join us for crowdsource science projects celebrating biodiversity.
Use Engineering To Design A Solar Space Probe
Get hands-on as you use the engineering design process to build a solar space probe to investigate the Sun.