Who I am and why I started this program
I have loved and combined art, science, and education throughout my professional life.
Art, from exposure, and from being encouraged to draw. "Go draw."
Science, through love of nature, from being allowed to "go outside and play".
Teaching came later, when a colleague at RISD/CE said, "We need someone to teach medical
illustration. Do you know anyone?" I was immediately hooked on sharing everything I knew.
My professional background in brief:
-Graduate of Portland High School (Portland, Maine)
-BA in botany, Connecticut College
-Graduate studies in biological illustration, University of New Haven
-Certificate in Scientific and Technical Illustration, Rhode Island School of Design (RISD)/CE
-Instructor in the Sci/Tech certificate program at RISD/CE for 14 years
-Clinical teaching associate and co-director of Art and Medicine, Brown University, 6 years
-Molecular and cell biologist at Yale University (1 year) and Rhode Island Hospital (24 years)
-Freelance scientific illustrator (25 years)
-Middle school art teacher at the Alternative School for Math and Science, Corning, NY, 2 years
For a full résumé, go to www.gretchenhalpert.com. It lists science, art, teaching, publications, exhibitions, and more than anyone needs to know.
Why distance learning? Because there is an interest and a need, and because I love to share knowledge. Science, Art, Education.