Rachel Sassani

Rachel Sassani has been teaching science since 1998. She currently teaches Earth and Space Science and Biology in Greensburg, Pennsylvania. In addition to teaching high school kids, she is her daughter's Girl Scout leader. Prior to teaching in Greensburg, she taught for six years in Cecil County, Maryland. Although she sometimes misses the Chesapeake Bay, she is happy to be back in her home state. Rachel graduated from Mansfield University of Pennsylvania with a BSE in Biology and General Science, and later McDaniel College, MD with a MS in Curriculum and Instruction. Rachel took her first Seminars on Science class, The Solar System, in 2008 in order to expand her content knowledge in astronomy. She always refers to biology as her first love, but astronomy is now a close second! Her favorite aspects of the course was the ability to discuss engaging ideas with other teachers and particularly a scientist in the field. She continued to take nine more courses. She is now excited to join the faculty of Seminars on Science.

Rachel lives outside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with her husband and two children. She works to instill a love of science and nature by taking them to the Pittsburgh Zoo and Carnegie Museum and Science Center whenever possible. As a family, they also love to spend time at their cabin along Pine Creek in the Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania; hiking, biking, fishing and searching for wildlife like bear and eagles and fossil hunting for brachiopods. Other hobbies include scrapbooking and reading. She particularly enjoys books by Carl Sagan and Neil deGrasse Tyson, but also juvenile fiction such as the Harry Potter series, historical fiction, and memoirs of women from other countries.