Long before Michael was developing ceramics workshops or training Explainers, he was taking things apart.

He built simple websites for fun, experimented with computers just to see what would happen, and later found himself in a high school calculus classroom where the goal wasn't memorizing formulas—it was figuring things out.

Today, as Makerspace Design Coordinator at the New York Hall of Science (NYSCI), that same spirit of experimentation guides the experiences he creates for visitors. Whether he's helping launch a new ceramics program, rebuilding beloved Makerspace activities, or mentoring Explainers, Michael believes that curiosity grows when people have the chance to make something with their own hands.

"Creating something yourself is how you learn," he says.

Michael joined NYSCI as an Explainer in 2017 after his older sister introduced him to the program.

"I started working here when I was 14 or 15," he says. "My sister was an Explainer before me, so she told me about the program."

What began as a high school job gradually became something more. Over the next several years, Michael advanced from trainee to Program Explainer and then Senior Explainer, taking on leadership roles, mentoring colleagues, and leading trainings.

The turning point came during the COVID-19 pandemic. As many experienced Explainers left the program, Michael found himself among a small group of Explainers who carried forward critical institutional knowledge.

"I felt like I had a bigger responsibility because I was one of the only few Explainers left who had a lot of the experience before 2020," he says.

That sense of responsibility would continue to shape the next chapter of his career.

As a Senior Explainer, Michael began collaborating with NYSCI's Exhibits team on projects that combined technology, design, and education.

One of those projects involved creating training materials for Design Lab activities, including a ScratchJr coding program. Those collaborations eventually led him to apply for an open position as Makerspace Design Coordinator.

Three years later, he's helping shape one of the museum's most creative spaces.

Since stepping into the role, Michael has helped rebuild many of the Makerspace experiences that visitors loved before the pandemic and after the museum's flood recovery.

"We've brought back sewing activities, woodworking, printmaking," he says. "We increased our repertoire of activities from three or four to about 15 or 20."

One of Michael's biggest recent projects has been helping launch NYSCI's new ceramics workshops.
The idea had been in development for nearly a year.

Working alongside colleagues Amelia and Satbir, Michael helped research techniques, prototype activities, install a new kiln, redesign workspaces, and even became a ceramics student himself by taking classes at the New York City Makerspace in the Brooklyn Navy Yard.

The team tested workshops with air-dry clay before introducing kiln-fired projects, carefully refining every step of the visitor experience.

Today, guests can learn introductory hand-building techniques like pinch pots before progressing to more advanced slab-built teacups and, eventually, glazing their finished pieces.

Ask Michael what advice he'd give someone interested in making, and his answer is refreshingly simple.

"You don't need the fancy tools. You don't need anything expensive."

Whether someone wants to try ceramics, coding, woodworking, or another creative pursuit, he believes the hardest part is simply beginning.

"Just start," he says. "Creating something yourself is how you learn."

This ethos is at the heart of NYSCI’s philosophy. Buy tickets to see for yourself today: nysci.org/tickets