RMA Speaker Series to Feature Andy Bramante: “Teaching High School Students to Excel in Science Research”

Everyone wants to know the secret of the phenomenal success of a sports coach whose team wins championships year after year. Meet another kind of coach, Andy Bramante, a Greenwich High School science teacher who mentors and inspires students through the challenging and exciting process of carrying out original science research projects.

Bramante will speak on Oct. 19 at 11:00am sharp at the Retired Men’s Association, which meets at the First Presybterian Church.

Bramante’s students have entered their research projects in science competitions on state, national and international levels with a record of consistently winning some the highest prizes.

A few examples; in the 20015-2016 school year two students were semifinalists in the international Google Science Fair and one, Olivia Hallisey, became the GRAND PRIZE winner receiving a $50,000 scholarship for designing a low cost, portable test for Ebola. Over the past ten years GHS students have competed in the Intel Science and Engineering Fair and won five FIRST PLACE Awards, two BEST of CATEGORY Awards, and one GRAND PRIZE Award. There has been similar stellar performance in other science competitions. Not surprisingly, Bramante himself has won several awards for excellence in teaching science.

Bramante will discuss his approach behind this incredible success and will describe several of his students winning projects. He will tell what it takes to motivate talented students to preform at the very highest level. This year at GHS the very popular Independent Science Research Class had 49 students enrolled.

He graduated from Fordham University in Chemistry with a B.S. in 1984 and an M.S. in 1987. Bramante started a career as an equipment and design engineer and product specialist “traveling the world on someone else’s dime” for companies such as Hitachi, Perkin-Elmer and Foxboro from 1987 to 2005. Then came the fateful meeting with Greenwich High School science teacher Ray Hamilton and Bramante’s decision to move from the private sector and enter the teaching profession at GHS. Hamilton soon retired and Andy took over his Independent Science Research Class in 2005-2006.

Andy lives in Fairfield, married to Tommasina, a research chemist at Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmceutical. Their daughter, Sofia, 19, is in her third year in the University of Delaware’s Honor Program, studying Mechanical Engineering. He and his experiences mentoring students are the subjects of a forthcoming book.

The Greenwich Retired Men’s Association offers a free program every Wednesday that is open to the public, both men and women; no reservations are required.

The social break starts at 10:40AM followed promptly by our speaker at 11:00AM. Programs are at the First Presbyterian Church, 1 West Putnam in Greenwich. For additional information see www.greenwichrma.org or contact info@greenwichrma.org

See also:

This is What a Google Science Fair Award Looks Like

Mad Scientists from Greenwich High School Star in Science Fair at the Beach

Greenwich High School’s Olivia Hallisey, Google Science Fair Winner, Schools Stephen Colbert on Her Ebola Test

GHS Junior, Olivia Hallisey Receives Google Global Science Fair 2015 Grand Prize

GHS Students Named Regional Finalists in Google’s 2016 Global Science Fair

Greenwich High School Research Scientists: Unprecedented Awards Sweep

Greenwich Students Excel at 2015 CT Science & Engineering Fair