Tag Archives: Science Teachers

Teachers who specialized in science.

TN STEM teacher Evie LaFollette garners 2023 Yager Exemplary Teaching Award

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STEM teacher Evie LaFollette of Tennessee has garnered a 2023 Robert E. Yager Exemplary Teaching Award from the National Science Teaching Association. Photo credit: Kingsport City Schools

Congratulations go to Evie LaFollette, a STEM teacher at Dobyns-Bennett High School in Kingsport, Tennessee. She has garnered a 2023 Robert E. Yager Exemplary Teaching Award from the National Science Teaching Association.

The Robert E. Yager Exemplary Teaching Award annually recognizes six science teachers who successfully use innovation and excellence in their classroom. The recipients of the award receive $1,000 towards their expenses to attend the annual NSTA National Conference on Science Education, and an additional $1,000 for their personal use. Each of the six teachers selected were invited to present at the conference, attend the district director meet-and-greet, and participate in their NSTA District Director Leadership retreat.

Evie has been an educator for fourteen years, seven of them at Dobyns-Bennett High, where she teaches Biology courses. She is obviously dedicated to her students and to her work. “It is my goal that each of my students feel seen, accepted, and supported in my classroom,” Evie declares. “I try to inspire my students to approach science like an engineer, always looking for solutions and being creative in their problem solving approach,” she says.
For the past ten years, Evie has also instructed online Psychology and Advanced Placement Psychology courses for the Niswonger Foundation. She also teaches Synthetic Biology at East Tennessee State University in a program which provides college credit to gifted and talented high school students throughout the state. And as if all that were not enough, she leads teacher workshops to train high school teachers all over Tennessee in how to implement Synthetic Biology and Genetic Engineering. Furthermore, in April, 2022, she was a presenter of “Life Changing Science Education” at the international science conference SynBioBeta held in Oakland, CA.
Evie earned her Bachelor’s degree in Behavioral Neuroscience from East Tennessee State University in Johnson City. She earned her Master’s degree in Education from Milligan University in Elizabethton, Tennessee.

To learn more about the National Science Teachers Association, click on this link to the NSTA.

RI science teacher Amy Biagioni garners prestigious PAEMST

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Science educator Amy Biagiioni of Rhode Island has garnered a prestigious PAEMST. Photo credit: Rhode Island State Department of Education

There are many excellent science educators who have earned accolades for their work in the classroom. One of these is Amy Biagioni, a science teacher from West Greenwich, Rhode Island. She has garnered a prestigious 2023 PAEMST (Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching) from her state’s Department of Education.

The PAEMST recognizes the dedication, hard work, and importance that America’s teachers play in supporting learners who will become future STEM professionals, including computer technologists, climate scientists, mathematicians, innovators, space explorers, and engineers. The PAEMST program, founded in 1983, is administered by the National Science Foundation (NSF) on behalf of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. The honor comes with a visit to the White House and a $10,000 cash prize.

Amy has been in the classroom since 2014. She currently teaches physics, chemistry, and engineering courses at Exeter-West Greenwich Regional High School in Rhode Island, where she has worked for the past 15 years. In her courses, Amy places special emphasis on wind energy, and leads her creative students in wind energy competitions each year. In fact, her teams were named Top Performers in the 2021 National KidWind Wind Turbine Challenge by the North Kingstown Chamber of Commerce.

From 2012 through 2018, Amy worked as an instructor for the Spark Summer Inquiry Program at Brown University. There she developed and led inquiry-based activities for the advanced middle school summer science program. The activities covered topics related to the spread of disease and projectile motion.

Amy earned her Bachelor’s degree in Science, Physics, and Applied Mathematics at the University of Rhode Island in 2004. She earned her Master’s degree in Curriculum Instruction and Assessment from Jones International University in 2007.

To learn more about Rhode Island’s state PAEMST program, click on this link: RI Dept. of Education.

Sharon Stephen-Buitrago named the 2023 BABSE Broward County Science Teacher of the Year

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Sharon Stephen-Buitrago has been named the Broward County Science Teacher of the Year for 2023 by the Broward Alliance of Black School Educators (BABSE). Photo credit: BABSE

Congratulations are due to elementary educator Sharon Stephen-Buitrago. She has been named the Broward County Science Teacher of the Year for 2023 by the Broward Alliance of Black School Educators (BABSE), a division of the National Alliance of Black School Educators (NABSE).

The NABSE is the nation’s foremost non-profit organization devoted to furthering the academic success for American youth, especially children of African descent. Now in year 53 since its founding, NABSE boasts an outreach to more than 10,000 pre-eminent educators including teachers, administrators, and superintendents, as well as corporate and institutional members. Founded in 1970, NABSE is dedicated to improving both the educational experiences and accomplishments of African American youth through the development and use of instructional and motivational methods that increase levels of inspiration, attendance, and overall achievement.

So Sharon is in very good company, indeed. Currently, she serves as a teacher and science coach at Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Montessori Academy School, a magnet school of Broward County Public Schools in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Previously she taught fifth grade at Pompano Beach Elementary School in Ft. Lauderdale, where she worked since Aug., 2008. Prior to that, she taught for ten years for Ascension Parish Schools in St. Amant, Louisiana.

Sharon earned her Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education in 1998 and her Master’s degree in Education in 2007, both from Southeastern Louisiana University. She earned a Certificate in Educational Leadership and Administration from Florida Atlantic University.

To learn more about both BABSE and NABSE, click on this link to BABSE.

Former science teacher Lisa Niver to release her book, Brave-ish

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Lisa Niver, a former junior high school science teacher from Los Angeles, California, is a podcaster, sought-after motivational speaker, travel agent, and travel writer. In fact, she has been recognized as one of the top five female travel bloggers. And now, the former teacher is a published author. Her new book, entitled Brave-ish: One Breakup, Six Continents and Feeling Fearless after Fifty, is due to be released on Sept 19, 2023, and is currently on pre-order. To view a five-minute video with Lisa where she discusses her book, click on this link: https://fox5dc.com/video/1265427

Brave-ish chronicles Lisa’s expeditions to far-flung corners of the world, including Vanuatu, Nepal, Myanmar, Cuba, Morocco, Kenya, and Mongolia. But her book is more than a travelogue. Her story is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the power of perseverance. Brave-ish inspires readers to nourish big dreams, take risks, and embrace the unknown in order to create an exciting and wonder-filled life, even when courage seems elusive.

Lisa has published many articles in online and in print magazines, including National Geographic, The Huffington Post, The Guardian, and The Jewish Journal. She was a 2012 nominee for the Presidential Award for Excellence in Math and Science Teaching. In 2018, she was nominated in three categories of the Southern California Journalism Awards: Science/Technology Reporting; Travel Reporting; and Personality Profile. To learn more about unique travel experiences, check out Lisa’s website at We Said Go Travel.

As for Lisa’s former career as an educator, she is well-known in science teacher circles for her instructional strategies that emphasize the use of technology in the classroom. She’s also noted for using students’ real world connections to explore their passions, and for teaching them to work towards solving today’s most complex issues. In 2009, Lisa founded the Los Angeles Science Teachers Network (LASTN),  a professional development network that by May, 2012, involved over 70 teachers and 40 schools. The effort was praised by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

 

Science teacher Seema Naik named one of Florida’s top teachers

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Elementary school science teacher Seema Naik has been named one of Florida’s top teachers in 2023. Photo credit: Florida Department of Education

I always enjoy sharing stories about exceptional educators who have earned accolades for their work in the classroom. One of these is Seema Naik, an elementary school science teacher from Broward County, Florida. In 2023 she was named one of Florida’s top teachers. In fact, she was recognized as one of five finalists for her state’s Teacher of the Year.

Seema inaugurated her career in public schools more than ten years ago when she became a volunteer in her daughter’s classroom. She went on to become a cafeteria aide, and then accepted a position as a teacher’s assistant. “And then I realized the reward that I was getting, the pure joy that I was getting, was being around the children, and I began teaching,” Seema revealed. “I love working with kids,” she says. “Teaching is my destiny. I want to make a difference for my students,” she continued.

Today, Seema teaches fourth grade at Eagle Ridge Elementary School in Coral Springs, Florida. In her classroom, she blends innovative project-based learning with research-based instructional strategies to motivate her students. Born into a family of musicians from India, Seema regularly uses music as a teaching aide. She creates songs and chants with lyrics that incorporate her curriculum. In addition, she is passionate about teaching STEM subjects. In fact, in 2017, she founded her school’s first Robotics Club, and she continues to serve as the advisor for the group today.

Seema comes to the classroom with an extensive background in science. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda in Vadodara, India, in 1984. She earned her Master’s degree in Environmental Engineering from the University of Toronto in Canada in 1991. Additionally, she has completed the requirements for Alternative Certification for Educators from the Teaching and Leadership Center at Florida Atlantic University. In addition to her honors from the Florida Department of Education, she was named Broward County Public Schools (BCPS) Teacher of the Year at the 2022 Caliber Awards Ceremony.