Sitting in biology class at
Bucks has never been this animated.
This isn’t like any other
class you’ve ever taken, especially
any science class. The
teacher frantically draws an
amazingly detailed anatomy
diagram on the chalk board.
The class material takes on a
new light, you understand it
better, and as a result you cannot
wait for the next class.
Caryn Babaian was recently
featured on the PBS show
“Nova: The Secret Life of
Scientists & Engineers.”
Babaian is a science teacher
with a secret. Her secret is that
she is a renowned artist, and
integrates her artwork into her
science teaching to create a
learning environment that is
rarely seen in colleges.
When asked about her experience
being filmed for the
show, Babaian describes how
she hopes people will see it and
want to learn more about art
and science.
The biology teacher enthusiastically
says, “Art lets you
animate concepts, it helps to
give deeper meaning to the
subject matter you are teaching
students. Drawing has an unbelievable
importance in biology.”
Teaching her biology class at
Bucks is another way for
Babaian to impart her excitement
and dedication of the
material on students. “I think
that my classroom should have
a theater environment. When I
get up there and I’m lecturing
and explaining concepts to the
class I try to be as passionate as
possible.”
Animate being a key word
throughout our interview.
Aside from being a gifted artist
and skilled teacher, Babaian
has a kinetic quality to her.
From the moment we sat down
until we parted ways due to the
start of her next class, she
talked and communicated in a
way that exudes knowledge
and more importantly, love of
knowledge.
“Biology is the most important
subject there is,” Babaian
says matter-of-factly. “It has
been minimized and pigeonholed
so much that it has lost
some of its importance in the
eyes of students.”
Caryn Babaian talks in a fast,
clear, and calculated mannerfor
her science and art are powerful
tools.
“I want students to love living
things,” Babaian explains.
“Living in the modern world
your life is dominated by
minutiae. I don’t understand
the craze around Facebook and
other similar programs, these
things cause us to detach from
the world we live in.”
The biology teacher makes it
clear that her many years of
teaching and drawing have
added up to create her current
teaching style. “Art is the science.
People think the two are
different things.”
Babaian fires off about a distinguished
artist and physician.
“Frank Netter is a huge inspiration
for me. He created these
incredibly detailed and accurate
drawings of anatomy.
Medical students prefer to
study Netter’s artwork over
computer generated images of
the same material.”
Another interesting facet of
the science teacher’s artistic
talent is the work she entered
into the 2006 Science
Magazine Visualization
Challenge. Babaian was
awarded second place in the
illustration category for her
integration of Leonardo da
Vinci’s famous artwork
“Vitruvian Man” in her introductory
anatomy class.
Through “Vitruvian Man”, the
teacher explained three
anatomical concepts (rotation,
transparency, and transverse
section) by instructing her students
to draw their representation
of da Vinci’s piece in their
notebooks.
Babaian keeps a huge grin on
her face for the better part of
the interview, these are the
things that interest and motivate
her. Talking about them is
simply another part of her job
that she extends her passion to.