Paul Orbe
Science Teacher
Academy for Enrichment and Advancement-Union City High School, Union City, NJ

Due to his passion for continuous professional development, Mr. Orbe was one of six teachers from New Jersey to earn a Bayer Fellowship from the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA). He represents his district and conducts presentations at the Research Experience for Teachers (RET) Program at the New Jersey Institute of Technology. Since 2013, Mr. Orbe has conducted research projects at the NJ Institute of Technology each summer. He has also presented at the annual meeting of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers and the New Jersey Science Convention.

Fluent in Spanish, Mr. Orbe is a certified reader for the Hispanic Scholarship Fund. He is a judge for the North Jersey Science Research Competition, a member of the NJ Science Teachers Association, and an official for USA Swimming. Mr. Orbe was recently selected as a Science Communication Fellow, and he is set to sail aboard Exploration Vessel (E/V) Nautilus during its 2016 expedition. The expedition is afforded by The Ocean Exploration Trust which was founded in 2008 by Titanicshipwreck discoverer Dr. Robert Ballard. Mr. Orbe earned a Bachelor of Science in biochemistry from Rutgers University, a Master of Public Administration from City University of New York, and he is currently pursuing an Education Specialist degree from Arkansas State University. 

In October 2016, Mr. Orbe will be attending the NSTA Minneapolis Area Conference. In his application for the NSHSS Educational Conference Grant, he explains that the conference will offer presentations and workshops in two different strands— “Teaching Science in a Connected World” and “STEMify Instruction Through Collaboration Across the Curriculum.” As an educator in a special interest academy for students planning to pursue STEM fields, Mr. Orbe is eager to prepare his students for success in this digital age. Mr. Orbe writes that by expanding his expertise, he will be able to “successfully create and foster a student learning community and become a true global educator.”

Mr. Orbe explains his teaching philosophy in relation to the increasing interconnectedness of academic disciplines, “I am further concerned in intensifying collaborations across the curriculum. It is evident, educators cannot longer teach in isolation. For instance, I already incorporate certain components from subjects such as English, history and art into my pedagogy. However, I am deeply attracted to the possibility of integrating unique engineering and engineering design processes in my lessons.”

He continues, “These skills, in turn, ensure students are utilizing higher order thinking skills. As a result, I foresee a remarkable opportunity to change the status quo of ‘recalling’ to ‘creating.’”

Science Supervisor of the Academy for Enrichment and Advancement Nadia Makar explains, “Mr. Orbe has and will make a lasting impression on our students and community. We certainly need more teachers like Mr. Orbe. He continues to pursue competitive professional development opportunities with the ultimate goal of using them for the benefit of our students.”