Rita Januszyk

Ms. Januszyk is one of the forty-one writers of the Next Generation Science Standards and one of three from Illinois.  Ms. Januszyk  received a BS in Biological Sciences from University of Illinois in Chicago and a MS in Elementary Education from Northern Illinois University.

Ms. Januszyk began her career as a Scientific Assistant in biological sciences at Argonne National Laboratory. She coordinated with the research team to design and implement experiments in molecular hybridization of DNA and RNA of light synchronized protozoa.

Ms. Januszyk has taught at Gower District 62 in Willowbrook, Illinois since 1985, and is currently a 4th grade classroom teacher. She has served as the district's Science Coordinator and Enrichment Coordinator.

In addition to her teaching responsibilities, Ms. Januszyk has presented at various conferences and workshops, including the 2008 and 2013 Illinois Reading Council and the 2011 and 2012 Illinois Science Teacher Conferences.