Johanna Ohlmeyer

Dr. Johanna T. Ohlmeyer, was born in Arequipa, Peru. Her interest in science was sparked and nurtured at an early age. She spent a lot of play time exploring the countryside in search of bugs and other novel creatures and reading all about them. After graduating from high school, she decided to enroll in medical school where she greatly enjoyed basic science courses such as biochemistry, histology, anatomy, and physiology. When she came to the United States to finish her bachelor’s degree at Rice University in Houston, she explored as many different fields of science as possible including paleontology and archeology.

Throughout college, Dr. Ohlmeyer did work-study in the laboratory studying genetics. After graduating from college, she explored other areas of biological research such as pharmacology and neurobiology. After a couple of years working in these areas she decided to go back to genetics and obtained her doctoral degree from the Biological Sciences Department at Columbia University. This discipline brings together several areas of biology such as genetics, cell biology, biochemistry, evolution, and molecular biology. After Dr. Ohlmeyer received her doctoral degree, she continued investigating developmental genetic pathways at Princeton University, cell cycle control at New York University, and cell differentiation at Columbia University Medical School.

Even though Dr. Ohlmeyer spent several years in basic research at the bench, she always felt that she should be more involved in the training of the new generation of biologists. Dr. Ohlmeyer transitioned into the world of science education by obtaining a MA in science education at Teachers College Columbia University. She has been working in teacher’s professional development as a scientist in the American Museum of Natural History in New York, as a curriculum writer at the Educational Development Center, and she is the founder of the owlet, a science education resource company offering teachers current knowledge of science advancements.