Boston University Medical Campus
CityLab

Meet Faculty/Staff

CityLab is…

Don DeRosa, Ed.D

Director
Instructor, Dept. of Biochemistry

Don DeRosa has been at CityLab since the program began in 1992. His responsibilities include the curriculum development, program design, teaching, staff development and management of the CityLab MobileLab.

Don has several years of teaching experience at both the pre-college and college level. Since 1984, he has taught biology, chemistry and earth science to students in grades 7-12, Anatomy and Physiology at Mass Bay Community College and science education courses at Bridgewater State College. He has been a member of the Microcosmos curriculum development team at Boston University since 1989. Don has also presented many teacher workshops in biotech education in both the U.S. and Europe. In addition to his responsibilities at CityLab, he has an appointment at the School of Education where he teaches methods courses in science education.

Don has a B.S. in Biology from the University of Vermont, an M.Div. from St. John’s Seminary, an M.A.T. in Science Education and an Ed.D. in Curriculum and Teaching from Boston University. Don enjoys outdoor activities such as skiing, mountain biking and sailing.

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Patty Kellogg

Administrator

Patty comes to CityLab with a wealth of experience. As past executive director of the Hyde Community Center, and as past member of the Newton School Committee, she is instrumental in the smooth operation of CityLab.

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Britta Bookhagen

CityLab Educator

Britta has a bachelor of science and a master in geology with emphasis on paleontology and biology. During her two years of teacher training at the Freie Universitaet Berlin, Germany, she worked at a geoscience school lab as a curriculum consultant and teaching assistant. She is very interested in outreach and science education, and she very much enjoys motivating students for the labs.

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Laura Borrelli

CityLab Educator

Laura Borrelli attended Boston University, majoring in biology with a specialization in neuroscience. While at BU, she worked on research involving ant brains and behavior, as well as some work with roost environment and rabies incidence in the Mexican Free-tailed bat. After college, Laura became deeply involved in Alzheimer’s Research at a MassGeneral Hospital research lab, where she worked for the next four years. She returned to BU and joined the CityLab team, where she now pursues a career in education.

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Pamela Emmanuel

CityLab Educator

Pamela holds a Master’s degree in Medical Sciences from Boston University.  She conducted basic science research as a graduate student and has tutored several students over the past 9 years.  She enjoys sharing her love of science and encouraging curious minds both in the classroom and laboratory.

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Matt Micari

CityLab Educator

Matt has a Bachelors in Science from McGill University in Montreal and is finishing his Masters of Art in Teaching at Boston University. He worked in San Francisco for six years as a high school biology teacher at an outdoor experiential school. In addition, he was a founding member of Wits End Theater. His passion is creating cooperative and interactive learning environments where students can unleash their inner scientist.

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Carla Romney, D.Sc., M.B.A

Director of Research

Carla joined the CityLab team in 2000 to combine her passions for science, education, and business. She first entered a research laboratory through a National Science Foundation Student Science Training Program while a high school student in New York. One day after her high school graduation, she began work in a cancer research laboratory in NY, an experience that ultimately influenced her career path. She spent summer and winter vacations during her college years investigating the roles of viruses and biochemical modulators in cervical cancer. After graduating from Tufts University with degrees in electrical engineering and Spanish, she began a long graduate school path that included studies at Dartmouth College (Masters in Biomedical Engineering) and University of Rochester (Masters of Business Administration). While in Rochester, Carla worked as an engineer for a surgical laser start-up company that designed devices to facilitate minimally invasive surgical procedures. She then decided to return to school to study cancer biology and earned her D.Sc. from Harvard University in 2000.

Carla has a long-standing interest in education. During the past 13 years, she has helped thousands of students to prepare for standardized entrance exams at all levels and has volunteered for several programs that encourage women to study science and engineering. She is now running Symmetry Learning, a company that develops and markets an innovative inquiry-based science education program for grades K-8.

Carla enjoys fine dining and traveling.

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Bill Welch

MobileLab Driver

Bill served in the Marine corp. for three years as an accounting technician. He has been a professional driver since 1982 and is a certified driving instructor. Bill keeps the MobileLab running and in tip-top shape! In addition, Bill is a member of the Marine corp. league and enjoys various outdoor activities.

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