KSTF Staff

Carol Rulli Program Officer, Physical Science Knowles Science Teaching Foundation

Carol Rulli was born and raised in southern New Jersey.  She earned her BA from Rutgers University with a major in Chemistry and a minor in Mathematics.  As an undergraduate, Carol was employed as a summer lab technician at the Campbell Soup Company.  Her responsibilities included nutritional analysis of all of the soups manufactured by the company.  Immediately after graduation, Carol was employed by Harleco, a Division of the American Hospital Supply Corporation as a Regulatory Affairs Chemist.  Carol also worked in a similar capacity for the Magic Marker Corporation. 

A phone call from the principal at a nearby diocesan high school initiated Carol's career in education.  She was hired as a Science and Math Teacher for a small rural school in 1978.    Four years later, after earning her teaching credentials in Physical Science, General Science and Mathematics, Carol joined the staff of a private preparatory school in southern New Jersey.  Carol spent the next twelve years teaching a variety of courses at the school including Chemistry, Algebra, and Physical Science and Global Perspectives.  While at the school, she assisted in the planning and implementation of a summer science camp for middle school students and conducted regulatory compliance training for the science department. 

Carol joined the staff of a suburban public high school in 1993.  During her tenure, Carol taught Advanced Placement and Honors Chemistry as well as Physical Science and Tech Prep Physics.  While at the school, Carol assumed the responsibility for numerous extracurricular duties including the District Safety Committee, the Scholarship Committee and also served as the chair of the Professional Development and Mentoring committee.  During her summers, Carol was active in many programs at nearby Rutgers University.  She taught Organic Chemistry Lab, served as the Lab Director for the Girls in Science, Engineering and Mathematics Program and taught an AP Chemistry workshop.  Additionally, Carol was selected to participate in the Partners in Science Program.   Through this program, Carol was partnered with a biochemist and was the principle investigator for a research project.

Carol received her MS in Chemistry Education from the University of Pennsylvania.  She currently co-teaches a graduate Chemistry course for in-service middle school science teachers at the university.   Carol has also co-presented Thermodynamics workshops for high school teachers at Penn.

Carol is presently serving on the Board of Directors for the Philadelphia Section of the American Chemical Society and was co-organizer for the ACS High School Day in August 2008.  Her awards include the Teacher of the Year from Triton High School, Exceptional High School Teacher Award from the DeMartini Foundation, and the Excellence in Secondary Chemistry Education Teaching Award from the Philadelphia Section of the American Chemical Society.

Carol joined KSTF in 2008 and is part of a team that is responsible for guiding the KSTF fellows in becoming professional high school science teachers.  She can be reached at crulli@kstf.org.