Lab coats optional, curiosity required
Real Engineers. Real Excitement.
After years of watching children sit through forgettable school assemblies — checking their watches, waiting for the bell — Christy turned to Ed and said: “We can do this. And we can do it better.”
As engineers with decades of real-world experience between them, they knew how to make complex ideas simple, surprising, and genuinely exciting. As parents who’d watched their own kids light up around hands-on science, they knew what a great learning experience actually looked like.
So they spent a year in the lab — testing, tweaking, and perfecting shows that balance education with entertainment. The result is Broken Beakers Assemblies: live STEM experiences built from the ground up to spark curiosity in every K–5 classroom they visit.
Christy
Co-Founder & Lead Presenter
Christy brings a Bachelor’s in Systems Engineering from the University of Virginia and a Master’s in Systems Engineering from George Washington University — plus a decade of hands-on engineering experience — to every show she performs.
But it was her years in the classroom as a substitute teacher and math tutor that showed her what kids truly respond to: energy, humor, and the feeling that they’re part of something exciting. Christy designs and leads each assembly with that in mind.
When she’s not running experiments on stage, Christy is baking, cheering at swim meets, or watching UVA football.
Ed
Co-Founder & Lead Presenter
Ed holds a Bachelor’s in Aerospace Engineering and a Master’s in Systems Engineering, both from Virginia Tech, and has 25+ years of engineering experience with Fortune 100 companies. He’s spent his career solving complex problems — and he brings that same problem-solving energy to every Broken Beakers performance.
Ed is the kind of person who has a project going in the garage at all times. That tinkerer’s instinct shows in the way he engages students: hands-on, curious, and always asking “but what happens if we try this?”
When he’s not on stage, Ed is rooting for the Steelers, playing chess, or cheering his kids on from the sidelines.
What We Believe
Every child deserves an assembly that respects their intelligence and rewards their curiosity. We don’t talk down to kids — we bring them up on stage. We don’t lecture — we experiment together. And we don’t leave without making sure every student in that gymnasium has had a genuine “aha” moment they’ll carry back to the classroom.
That’s the Broken Beakers promise.