Teaching Chemistry Through Art, Dance and Drama with Zafra Lerman

Zafra Lerman is a scientist, educator and humanitarian. She received a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel and conducted research on Isotope Effects at Cornell and Northwestern Universities in the U.S. and the ETH, Zurich, Switzerland. She developed an innovative approach of teaching science through art, music, drama, dance, and rap which was successful with underprivileged students around the globe.She worked on human rights cases in the former Soviet Union, Russia, China, Guatemala, Cuba, Peru, and South Africa and was successful in preventing executions, releasing prisoners from jail and bringing dissidents to freedom. She is the President of the Malta Conferences Foundation, which uses science diplomacy as a bridge to peace in the Middle East by bringing scientists from all countries in the Middle East together with Nobel Laureates.This five-day conference puts scientists under the same roof to develop collaborations and friendships that overcome the chasms of distrust and intolerance. She received over forty international awards, including the Presidential Award for Mentoring from President Clinton (1999), AAAS Award for Science Diplomacy (2015), American Physical Society Andrei Sakharov Prize for Human Rights (2016), Peace and Justice prize from the UN NOVUS summit (2016), Distinguished Women in Chemistry or Chemical Engineering Award from the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (2017), and she was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by a member of the US Congress and a member of the French Parliament (2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2023, 2025).Her book “Human Rights and Peace: A Personal Odyssey” was published in August 2024. On March 6, 2025 she received in New York the International Advocate for Peace Award from the Cardozo Journal of Conflict Resolution. Previous awardees include Bill Clinton, Jimmy Carter, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and Paul McCartney.Chapters:00:19 - Innovative Approaches to Teaching Science01:05 - The Journey into Education and Science20:49 - Innovative Teaching Methods in Chemistry36:46 - Human Rights and Science Education44:33 - Focusing on the Middle East: A New Directionhttps://zafralerman.comhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/zafralerman🔥 Discover more about Education on Fire, get a FREE pdf of 10 guest resources.https://www.educationonfire.com🔥 Support the show – Buy me a coffee, Merch and Sponsorship Opportunitieshttps://www.educationonfire.com/support#EducationOnFireShow Sponsors –National Association for Primary Education (NAPE)Their Primary First Journal: https://www.educationonfire.com/napeFrom idea to live show – hands-on sessions to help you launch, grow, and streamline your brand.https://creativeamplifiers.live/https://creativeamplifiers.substack.com/