Science Research Teacher David Shanker has been teaching for 31 years, 19 of which at LHS. He was hired in 1999 to create and run the science research program, which has burgeoned and flourished ever since. John Krendel, a senior who has had Shanker for two years, says, “Mr. Shanker introduced me to the great world of research, and his guidance helped me progress at  competitions. Without him, I don’t think I would have  been able to achieve as much as I have in the field of research.”

Shanker was born in Flushing, Queens, where he attended Jamaica High School. He then attended Queens College for his undergraduate years, where he worked at a lab investigating opiate receptors in the brain, the study of which would potentially help prevent drug overdoses. For his research, he was required to drive to a kosher butcher in Brooklyn and pick up chicken heads that he would proceed to pry open, and scoop out, and blend their brains. As horrible this may seem, it was all in the name of research.

For his graduate degree, Shanker attended Columbia University in the College of Physicians and Surgeons. He majored in chemistry, worked in multiple labs, and had a fellowship at the institute. After the completion of his education, he worked studying blood cancer at Downstate Medical School. He took a job at UPS for a year while finishing the requirements for his teaching credentials. A week after crashing his UPS truck (and getting fired), his teaching career began with no prior student-teaching experience. “Both my parents were teachers, so I guess it was in my genes,” says Shanker.

Shanker got his first teaching job in Manhattan at a vocational high school for nursing in 1988. Afterwards, he worked at Cardozo High School in Queens, then Hewlett High School, and finally at LHS. His love of research and teaching has continued to grow throughout his years teaching. Shanker is appreciative of the freedom to choose what he teaches; he does not have to adhere to a certain curriculum, and he can even teach topics relating to current events. The independence his students have without a set curriculum allows his research course to stay unique. He especially loves the growth he sees when his students come back to visit and tell him stories of their success.

Other than his students, Shanker also takes pride in his daughters, one of whom is getting married this June, and the other five months later. They are both exceptionally bright and successful women. Outside of school, Shanker enjoys going to Shelter Island, where he enjoys activities such as kayaking, biking, oyster farming, clamming, crabbing, fishing, and sailing. He also loves spending time with his family; he especially takes pleasure in cooking with them.

Shanker has had an impact on students as well as teachers throughout LHS, and without his work, there may not have been such a strong research program at LHS. Charles Vessalico, who teaches research alongside Shanker, says, “Shanker is passionate about research, and his dedication to the Lynbrook science research students is unmatched!”

Bernard Pivot
• What are your favorite words? “Yes, you can do it.”
• What is your least favorite word? “No,” and when students say, “I can’t do it.”
• What other profession other than yours would you like to attempt? Being a fisherman; glassblowing.

Favorites
• Movie: The Third Man
• Book: The Gene: An Intimate History
• TV Show: Black Mirror
• Food: So many, cooking with family (they’re very into food)
• Song: “You Are Everything” by Marvin Gaye and Dianna Ross (played at his wedding)
• Sports Team: Australian yacht racing team
• Band/Musician/Genre: Blues (Allman Brothers Band)
• Hobby/Pastime: Boating and kayaking
• Snack: Homemade dried fruits
• Play: All My Sons