About Discovery

Staff Bios

Charles Brandwein, Co-coordinator Mentoring Program
Mr. Brandwein received his bachelor's degree from Brooklyn College and his master's degree from Yeshiva University.  He has taught all levels of high school mathematics and has been an adjunct instructor at Kingsborough Community College. He has also served as a high school Assistant Principal in charge of mathematics and as an Assistant Principal in charge of administration. "Good teaching depends on individual strengths and personality traits as well as a commonly recognized strategy."

Anna Carter, Mathematics Mentor
Ms. Carter received her B.S. and M.S. degrees from Brooklyn College and a certificate in administration and supervision from the College of Staten Island. For 33 years she taught all levels of mathematics including remediation, Advanced Placement Calculus AB, and programming. From 1999-2004 she was the Assistant Principal in charge of mathematics at New Dorp High School, where she was previously Program Coordinator and a grade advisor. In addition to being a mentor and facilitator for the Discovery Institute, she is an adjunct instructor in the Mathematics Department at the College of Staten Island. In 2006, she was awarded the Outstanding High School Teacher's Award from the College of Staten Island. Ms. Carter has been rewarded by seeing so many of her former students become productive and wonderful adults. Her passion for teaching, combined with her belief in lifelong education, can be summed up by these words of prominent American educator John Dewey: "Education is a social process; education is growth; education is not a preparation for life but is life itself."

Fabiola Desire, Financial Coordinator
Ms. Desire obtained a dual BS degree in Finance and Economics from the College of Staten Island. Before joining the administrative staff at the Discovery Institute, she was a former Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Program (CSTEP) student. Fabiola worked as Assistant to the coordinator for the CSTEP, STEP, and BMI programs for five years. For the past three years she has managed multiple city, state and federal grant funds awarded to the Institute. Fabiola is currently working toward a Masters degree in mathematics with a focus on Statistics and Applied Mathematics at Queens College.

Ivin Doctor, Teaching Scholars Program Coordinator
Ivin Doctor received his entire education in the NYC public school system. He received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Chemistry and a sixth year certificate in Administration and Supervision from Brooklyn College. He spent 37 years as a teacher of chemistry and a mentor at F.D. Roosevelt high school in Brooklyn. During that time he received several teaching awards, including 1988 & 1996 Teacher of the Year – FDR High School, 1973 Outstanding Educators of America and 16 straight years listed in Who’s Who Among American Teachers. He has taught, facilitated or instructed multiple projects at the Discovery Institute, including courses for both teachers and students. Currently, Ivin Coordinates the Teaching Scholars Program for the Discovery Institute. He recruits CSI students with 3.00 GPA’s or better, who are not majoring in education, to become teaching scholars. When working in the public schools as teaching assistants, many students like the experience so much that they switch to education as a career pursuit. “As a teacher, I realized how important it is to make what you teach to students meaningful. You connect with your students by being aware of their current interests. Making your class interesting, relevant, and enjoyable helps you reach your goal of educating all of your students.”

Sid Ehrenworth, College Now Coordinator
Mr. Ehrenworth retired from the New York City Department of Education after 34 years of service.  At Curtis High School he taught mathematics and was the Assistant Principal in charge of mathematics. He also worked at the College of Staten Island as an adjunct instructor in both the Mathematics and Education Departments. Since joining the Discovery Institute full-time, Mr. Ehrenworth has worked as the Coordinator of the College Now program.  "Throughout my career I always believed that mathematics should be taught in a way that stimulates students' own natural intuitiveness and helps them realize the importance of mathematics in their lives."

Jean Holder, Administrative Assistant
Ms. Holder is a graduate of Curtis High School and attended Hunter College for two years. She worked on Wall Street in a Purchase and Sales department for 10 years; for the next 11 years she stayed at home to raise her son. She has been working for the Discovery Institute since 2001.

Peter Lytell, Science Mentor
Mr. Lytell is a graduate of Columbia University, where he received his B.S. and M.A. He taught science throughout his 35-year career in the New York City public schools. During his 32 years at Tottenville High School, he taught chemistry, mentored new teachers, and ran the ornamental horticulture program. He was the assistant program chairman and was a mentor for new teachers. "My goal has always been to expose my students to the beauty and logic of science."

Frank Meringolo, Co-coordinator Mentoring Program
Mr. Meringolo retired after 33 years of service in mathematics education in the New York City and Plainedge (L.I.) public schools. Prior to his arrival at Plainedge High School in 1997, from where he retired as an Assistant Principal and Supervisor of mathematics, he served as Assistant Principal in charge of mathematics and Assistant Principal, Administration at James Madison High School in Brooklyn. "It is a thrill to see young mathematics teachers grow into fine educators."

Michael G. Pappas, Ph.D., Acting Director
Dr. Pappas received his Ph.D. in Immunology and Parasitology from New York University at the NYU Medical School campus. He has published extensively in international scientific journals, including Science, Transactions of the Royal Society of Medicine, Diagnostic Immunology, and Transactions of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, among others.  He has authored book chapters, scientific review articles, articles in lay journals and tabloids, has written three books on the science and business of biotechnology and is an inventor on two U.S. patents. While an Army Medical Service Corps. officer, Dr. Pappas worked at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., developing tests for diagnosis of human diseases. He then entered the private sector as a senior manager responsible for grant development, acquisition and management.  Over the past twenty years he has won and managed millions of dollars in state and federal grants and contracts at numerous firms and has participated as an ad hoc grant reviewer for the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health; he also has reviewed manuscripts for international, scientific journals.  He has lectured nationally and internationally on biomedical subjects, is certified to teach Biology in grades K-12 in New Jersey and has made many presentations to middle school and high school students on science and biotechnology. “As an educator, the ability to stimulate young minds through the scientific discovery process is extremely gratifying and prepares both our youth and our nation to compete successfully in the global marketplace.”

Sherina Peterkin, GEAR UP Parent & Community Educational Resource Center Assistant
Ms. Peterkin is the former PTA President of Dreyfus, I. S. 49 and has been with the GEAR UP program since 2000.  Her commitment and dedication to the program are great assets in helping parents to understand the importance of their children achieving academic success to prepare for college.

Robert Shimony, GEAR UP Special Events Coordinator
Mr. Shimony collects the Discovery Institute's Tech-Prep data, coordinates special events for the GEAR UP grant, and helps facilitate our elementary school science curriculum development project. Previously, he coordinated the Discovery institute’s TTT program. While teaching at Tottenville High School, he co-coordinated programs in Medical Laboratory Technology, School-to-Work, Science Research, and Teacher-Internship programs and taught science, science research techniques, and medical laboratory technology. He has co-authored a report on the College's collaboration with BASIS on a Tech-Prep model (Med-Lab Tech) and its effects on academic achievement. He also co-authored a manual for independent science research and wrote curriculum materials for the Med-Tech program and other occupational education initiatives, including New York State's CDOS Manual, Career Plan Pilot, and Occupational Education Proficiency Exam. He has presented at local, state-wide, and national career and technical education conventions.

Peggy Travers, GEAR UP College Advisor
Ms. Travers taught at Dreyfus, I. S. 49, and retired after 35 years with the NYC Department of Education. She has coordinated programs for the Discovery Institute teaching scholars that assisted Dreyfus teachers in the classroom and in the after-school program.  Her expertise, which is based on experience, is in the field of middle school education.

Sajdah Umrani-Mansur, Senior Parent/Community Coordinator, GEAR UP
Ms. Um’rani-Mansur has worked with families of students who attend Dreyfus, I. S. 49; Curtis High School; and New Dorp High School as well as members of the community since 1999.  She has coordinated various educational and cultural programs including the Community Outreach Educational Program, which connects the Discovery Institute to a network of 15 different community organizations and centers in Staten Island’s minority communities. Ms. Um’rani-Mansur received the Staten Island Leadership Institute Certificate from the College of Staten Island; the Dreyfus, I. S. 49 Partner in Education Award; the Dreyfus, I.S. 49 PTA President’s Award; and various awards for her dedication and service to the school and community. She is the former PTA Vice-President of P.S. 14 and the former PTA President of Dreyfus, I. S. 49.  As the Senior Parent/Community Coordinator, Ms. Um’rani-Mansur, a native Staten Islander, provides a wealth of information and is dedicated to helping parents prepare their children for higher education.  “Parent involvement is the key to a child’s success by connecting the school, home and community…IT TAKES A COMMUNITY TO HELP EDUCATE A CHILD.”

Lenore Vazquez, Teachers on Sabbatical/9th Grade Summer Program/Academic Olympics
Ms. Vazquez has worked for the Discovery Institute for the past 15 years. Before coming to the Discovery Institute, Ms. Vazquez worked for 15 years as a Communication Technician for AT&T, as well as a union steward for over 5,000 employees. She started as a part time college assistant in 1996. While working part time and taking care of her family, Ms. Vazquez returned to college and after six years earned a B.A. degree in Sociology/Anthropology at CSI. In 2005, she became a full time staff member. In her 15 years at the Institute, Ms. Vazquez has coordinated events such as an annual Academic Olympics, Poetry Slam, and a Congressional Art Competition, which includes all the public and private high schools on Staten Island. She asssists in the preparation of interim, annual and final grant reports. She also submits grant proposals according to funding agency guidelines. In 2009, Ms. Vazquez became the coordinator of the GEAR UP Program.

Technical Support

• Dmitriy Dubson
  Dmitriy is a Computer Science undergraduate from the College of Staten Island (CSI) and is pursuing a career in the growing field of Web Development. His duties include editing and updating the Discovery Institute website and maintaining the Institute's many servers. Previously, he worked at Zagat Survey in New York City, where he helped develop survey editing and filtering processes, and the CSI STEAM Scholarship website, which he designed and developed. Dmitriy's current projects include a Java project involving Graph Theory, funded by a NSF STEAM Grant, and an Adobe Flex (Rich Internet Application) Project involving educational software. He plans to apply to graduate school to earn a Master's Degree in Computer Science.
• Michael Esho
  Michael is majoring in computer engineering at the College of Staten Island (CSI), and minoring in computer science. He currently inputs survey data and updates the Institute’s large scientific and educational database. He also provides hardware, technical materials and computer expertise to staff running the multiple workshops held on the CSI campus. Michael also has a earned a certificate in AUTOCAD through International Design Service (IDS), Inc. and after graduating from CSI plans to pursue his master’s degree at either CSI or Polytechnic University computer engineering.
  

Dr. James Sanders Ph.D., Emeritus Scholar, Discovery Institute
Dr. Sanders holds a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago in the history of urban education. His numerous publications include The Education of an Urban Minority from Oxford University Press. He is a former high school teacher and a professor of education at the College of Staten Island/CUNY; he has worked with schools and teachers in New York City for more than three decades. Since 1987, he has conducted more than 50 grant-funded projects focused on the improvement of teaching. Dr. Sanders is also a Professor Emeritus of the History of Education at the College of Staten Island. He is a tremendous resource and his extensive experience in both the secondary and college levels will be vital to the continued ability of the Institute to improve the learning experience for both students and teachers.