Dr. Amy Lilienfeld, a geographer who taught at the college level for over 25 years, created Circle of Illumination Science Education in 2019. What inspired her were her unique experiences substitute teaching in the Twin Cities between 2016 and 2018.
During this time she implemented many of the techniques she had used in her own classrooms, relying heavily on a variety of web-based resources as well as film, while adhering to the grade-specific standards.
Where the name comes from
Particularly inspiring was a week spent with a third grade class at Loring Elementary School in North Minneapolis. The class saw a number of clips from the film The Endurance, about Ernest Shackleton’s journey to the South Pole. Of particular note to the students was the ad Shackleton purportedly ran to recruit his crew:
Men wanted for hazardous journey. Small wages, bitter cold, long months of complete darkness, constant danger. Safe return doubtful, honor and recognition in case of success. Ernest Shackleton
The students wondered: how could there be months of darkness? Subsequent work in the classroom creating diagrams of the Earth during the two solstices helped demonstrate how such conditions could exist for part of the year. One of those student drawings appears at the top of this page. The line it shows between the lit and dark halves of the Earth is called the circle of illumination, and it gave the company its name.
Active in the science education community
Since its inception Dr. Lilienfeld has been very active in the K-12 science education community. She has presented annually at conferences of state science teachers’ associations in both Minnesota and Michigan, has had articles published in LINKS, the e-newsletter of the Michigan Science Teachers’ Association, and has delivered webinars on soils, weather data and the water cycle.
How she works with teachers
- Workshops of two to three hours, delivered in your district, with hands-on activity packets and continuing education credit. See the workshops.
- Webinars for grade-level teams and teacher associations. See the Fall 2026 webinars.
- Mentoring for individual teachers or teams revising a weather or climate unit.
- Conference sessions for state and regional science teacher associations.
Circle of Illumination Science Education is based in the Twin Cities and works with school districts across Minnesota and Michigan. Get in touch to talk about your teachers.
