About Me
My name is Andrew Centanni, and I'm a biologist from the Sonoran Desert. I created this site for my students, my community, and anyone else interested in learning about plant and animal life. Scroll down to learn more about my background and credentials ⇩
I was born with a love for the living world which eventually led me to studying Animal Physiology & Behavior at ASU, after which I received my Master's degree in Secondary Ed.
Early in my teaching career, I was tasked with teaching botany to at-risk youth at the alternative public school where I worked. Knowing almost nothing specific about plants (having spent my academic career studying animals), I reached out to professors such as Liz Makings at ASU to help me build my new botany curriculum. The resulting semester of lessons kick-started my passion for plants.
Years later, I began writing a Zoology/Botany curriculum for my new work site, based on the unique educational experiences I'd had up to that point. I began teaching this curriculum in 2019, but was quickly interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
After spending the '20-'21 academic year teaching virtual lessons, I decided to begin taking landscaping courses from the Desert Botanical Garden's Desert Landscape School to learn more practical horticulture techniques to teach my students once they came back in person. Concurrently, I began renovating the school's garden space, which featured a run-down greenhouse, a dilapidated patio, and a large plot of bare dirt.
In the fall of 2023, I began my second Master's degree in Plant Biology & Conservation at ASU. Working in the lab of Dr. Changbin Chen, I studied the cytogenetics of a grass called Zingeria beibersteiniana, with a focus on how it could be used as a model organism for teaching cell division (and much more) in a secondary education setting. By the fall of the following year, I'd received my full professional credential from Desert Landscape School.
Whether you are a student, parent, or community member, I hope that through this website, you're able to find resources that help you learn more about wildlife and horticulture in the Sonoran Desert (and beyond!).
As I continue to further my education, I will continually upload new resources to help you further your own education.
Thanks for reading!
