Sam Gowland

Biography

I come from a family of teachers who instilled in me a lifelong love of learning. After graduating as the salutatorian of my high school class near Atlanta, Georgia, I traveled across the country to obtain a dual degree in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry with a minor in Mathematics from Arizona State University. One highlight of my time in Arizona was doing science presentations after school for elementary and middle-school students – I even wore an Einstein wig with my lab coat! 

From there, I went on to earn my PhD from Northwestern University doing synthetic biology research. While there, I was a teaching assistant for several university classes and led a training program for undergraduate students in ethics and community engagement. My dissertation focused on building a new genome engineering platform to rapidly test and evolve engineered translation systems in E. coli, with a goal of testing and manufacturing new materials and medicines to make the world a happier and healthier place. While I enjoyed my time in research, I find more joy now in passing on a love of knowledge and learning to my students. 

My teaching philosophy is to get to know each student as a person: not only their current level of understanding and potential to master subject material, but also their individual goals and dreams. From there, I work to integrate scientific concepts with a student’s own interests and intuitive understanding of the world. Although many students of science may not work in scientific fields, they will always carry with them the structured, scientific ways of breaking down challenges and the profound respect for the natural world and their place in it that a scientific education endows. Most importantly, I always strive to create an environment where each student feels excited to learn and free to ask any question that sparks their natural curiosity! 

When I’m not tutoring, I love to go on long Bay walks, check out San Francisco’s food scene, and play board games with friends in the park.