West Virginia elementary STEM teahe3r Tiffany Pace earns the very first Mission Possible Operation Advance Technology Competition. Photo credit: PAEMST
Congratulations to Tiffany Pace, an elementary school science teacher from West Virginia who has been named the recipient of the very first CIA Mission Possible Operation Advance Technology Competition!
The goal of the Operation Advance Technology Program is to improve education in science, technology, engineering, art, and math (STEAM) in public schools. The program is managed by the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, supported by the Central Intelligence Agency, and funded by the US Department of Energy. Tiffany is one of five winners of the new competition. She was selected to represent the Southeast Region of the United States. The prestigious award comes with a computer and coding lab for her classroom worth $60,000, as well as laptops and other STEM equipment.
Currently, Tiffany teaches third graders at Cross Lanes Elementary School in Charleston. There she leads her students in a partnership with students in a third grade classroom at the Anglo-American School in Managua, Nicaragua. To create a global connection, Tiffany’s students video conference with the students in Managua to compare climates and share photos and stories of about their environments and habitats.
In addition to her instruction in the classroom, Tiffany’s work as a teacher-leader is extensive. She has been a presenter at the NSTA National Conference in St. Louis and the INSTA STEM20 Virtual Conference. She has authored articles and is a reviewer for the NSTA Science and Children Journal. Furthermore, she is a certified educator with National Geographic, an Underwood-Smith Scholars mentor, and a Fuel Up to Play 60 Advisor.
For her work as an educator, Tiffany has garnered many accolades. In 2020 she earned a Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST). She was also recognized as the West Virginia Environmental Science Teacher of the Year, and in 2022 she was named a Fulbright Teacher for Global Classrooms. Furthermore, she has written and received over $400,000 in grants for educational supplies, STEM materials, technology, gardening materials, healthy eating and physical activity supplies, community outreach programs, and professional development.
Tiffany earned her Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Public Relations from West Virginia University in Morgantown, West Virginia, in 1999. She earned her Master’s degree in Education from Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia, in 2012. Her career as an educator spans more than ten years.
