Ben Dubin-Thaler

Ben Dubin-Thaler created the BioBus in 2007 to test his hypothesis that if people felt the excitement of scientific discovery, they would become more excited about doing science and becoming a scientist. This hypothesis has since been validated with 165,000 students from 500 schools boarding the BioBus and exhibiting dramatic positive changes in attitudes towards science and science careers. "Dr. Ben's" philosophy of providing hands-on, inquiry-based research lab experiences guides him as executive director of the nonprofit Cell Motion Laboratories, whose continuing mission is to create a future in which all people know the joy of scientific discovery through the construction of laboratory environments in which scientists join students for hands-on explorations of the natural world. Ben and his team recently created the BioBus Base, or "BioBase", a new community laboratory in Manhattan that is empowering, accessible, unintimidating, and facilitates in-depth scientific engagement even amongst populations historically underrepresented in science professions. He created the BioBus after completing his BA in physics and mathematics, as well as his PhD in biology from Columbia University. The author of numerous high-profile research articles and book chapters in cell biology and biophysics, Dr. Ben has lectured at the American Society for Cell Biology, the National Institutes of Health, Rockefeller University, New York University, the University of Illinois, PopTech, TEDxWoodsHole, and the Materials Research Society, receiving numerous awards and accolades for excellence in research and teaching.

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