In this interview, 2010 MacArthur Fellow Amir Abo-Shaeer discusses why he left a career in engineering and science to become a teacher at Dos Pueblos High School in Santa Barbara, California. In 2002, Abo-Shaeer created the Dos Pueblos Engineering Academy (DPEA), a school-within-a-school with an applied science curriculum that integrates physics, engineering, and mathematics courses and hands-on building projects. Abo-Shaeer’s innovative model of science education is helping to prepare the next generation of scientists and engineers for the 21st century. This resource is part of the MacArthur Fellows Program Collection.