The National Science Teachers Association Announces 2012 Teachers Awards Program Recipients
Top Science Educators From Around the Country Honored
ARLINGTON, Va. — March 26, 2012 — The National Science Teachers Association (NSTA), the largest professional organization in the world promoting excellence and innovation in science teaching and learning, announced the winners of the 2012 NSTA Teacher Awards Program, which honors K–12 teachers, principals, professors and other science education professionals for their outstanding work and achievement in science education. The awards will be presented at a special banquet and ceremony on Friday, March 30, at NSTA’s 60th National Conference on Science Education in Indianapolis.
NSTA will present its highest and most prestigious award, the Robert H. Carleton Award, to former NSTA President Dr. Michael Padilla, a professor and director of the Eugene T. Moore School of Education at Clemson University in Clemson, S.C. The Robert H. Carleton Award, sponsored by the Dow Chemical Company, recognizes one individual who has made outstanding contributions to, and provided leadership in, science education at the national level and to NSTA in particular.
Padilla is well-known for his leadership in and dedication to science education. His long career includes his unparalleled ability to promote vital science and teacher education initiatives by obtaining grants, ultimately attracting $36,000,000 in highly competitive external funds. All of the grants addressed critical areas of need in science, mathematics, and teacher education, involving collaboration among K–12 teachers, faculty from colleges and universities and business interests.
After college, Padilla worked for two years in the business world before transitioning to a career as a science educator. He began teaching in a high-minority, underserved school bordering Detroit’s automobile plants, and his experiences working with this population influenced his future endeavors as an educator. After becoming a university professor in Canada, he moved to the University of Georgia, where he spent 29 years serving as an associate dean and director of the School of Teacher Education.
Throughout his career, Padilla has never forgotten his roots as a science teacher, using his K–12 experiences to enhance his work at the university level, to lead professional organizations and to provide leadership through grants and projects. In addition to serving as NSTA president in 2005, Padilla has worked on numerous NSTA committees, chaired the planning committee for the NSTA National Conference in Atlanta and has authored more than 250 articles, books, chapters and papers. The University of Georgia named him an Aderhold Distinguished Professor and honored him with the Walter B. Hill Service Award and he is the recipient of the NSTA Distinguished Service to Science Education Award.
NSTA is also honoring the following award recipients:
Angela Award
Carolyn Jess, student, Grady Rasco Middle School, Lake Jackson, Texas
NSTA Presidential Citation
Eric Jolly, president, Science Museum of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota
NSTA Distinguished Service to Science Education Award, partially sponsored by ServiceMaster
John E. Penick, professor emeritus, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina
NSTA Distinguished Teaching Award, partially sponsored by ServiceMaster
Robert Adkins, science teacher, Save Middle School, Anchorage, Alaska
BioRad Ron Mardigian Memorial Biotechnology Explorer Award, sponsored by Bio-Rad Laboratories
Andrew Lettes, science teacher, Pueblo Magnet High School, Tuscon, Arizona
DCAT “Making a Difference” Award, sponsored by The Drug, Chemical, and Associated Technologies (DCAT)
- High School: Mike Scully, science teacher, John Jay Science & Engineering Academy, San Antonio, Texas
- Middle School: Rebekah Hammack, science teacher, Stillwater Middle School, Stillwater, Oklahoma
Delta Education/ FREY-NEO/ CPO Science Education Award for Excellence in Inquiry-Based Science Teaching
- Elementary Level (sponsored by Delta Education): Laura Finney, science teacher, Chamberlin Hill Intermediate School, Findley, Ohio
- Middle Level (sponsored by Frey Scientific): Nicole Ackerson, science teacher, Berkeley Preparatory School, Tampa, Florida
- High School Level (sponsored by CPO Science): Lisa Backus, science teacher, Deerfield High School, Deerfield, Illinois
Disney’s Planet Challenge, sponsored by the Walt Disney Company (Sponsoring Teacher Recognition)
- Elementary Level Competition (Grades 3-5): Breigh Rhodes and Kristy Gilpin, Zachary Elementary School, Zachary, Louisiana
- Middle Level Competition (Grades 6-8): Fran Wachter, Creal Springs School, Creal Springs, Illinois
The DuPont Challenge © Science Essay Competition Teacher Sponsors, sponsored by The DuPont Company
- First Place Junior Division: Raymond Piccininni, teacher, Project Arrow Gifted and Talented Program, Scullen Middle School, Naperville, Illinois
- First Place Senior Division: Dr. Stephanie M. Kawamura, science teacher and chairperson InTech Collegiate High School, North Logan, Utah
Maitland P. Simmons Memorial Award for New Teachers
- Denise Andrade, science teacher, H.A. Hyde Elementary School, Watsonville, California
- Amanda Browder, science teacher, Smithfield Middle School, Smithfield, Virginia
- John Clark, science teacher, Deltona High School, Deltona, Florida
- Julie Coder, science teacher, Bellfonte Area High School, Bellefonte, Pennsylvania
- Dean Cress, science teacher, Signal Mountain Middle/High School, Signal Mountain, Tennessee
- Pamela Evans, science teacher, Jefferson Elementary School, Charleston, Illinois
- Marci Farmer, science teacher, Sanborn Central School, Forestburg, South Dakota
- Candice Guy, science teacher, Saint Brigid School, San Francisco, California
- Amy Hruska, science teacher, Roland Park Country School, Baltimore, Maryland
- Sarah Jordan, science teacher, South Central Middle School, Emerson, Georgia
- Stephanie Kennelly, science teacher, Garlough Environmental Magnet School, West St. Paul, Minnesota
- Malina Maldonado, science teacher, Victory Creek Middle School, Cumming, Georgia
- Carolina Moon, science teacher, Wren Middle School, Piedmont, South Carolina
PASCO STEM Educator Awards, sponsored by PASCO Scientific
- High School Level: Ophelia Barizo, science teacher, Highland View Academy, Hagerstown, Maryland
- High School Level: Sherrie Chovanec & Peter Fischer, science teachers, Hiram High School, Hiram, Georgia
- Middle Level: Donna Markey, science teacher, Vista Magnet School, Vista, California
- Middle Level: Heather Stewart, science teacher, Paxton School, Paxton, Florida
- Elementary Level: Lesa Roe, Leesburg Elementary School, Leesburg, Florida
SeaWorld/Busch Gardens Outstanding Environmental Educator Award, sponsored by SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment
Pierre Beauchamp, aquaponics system project leader, Del Oro High School, Loomis, California
Shell Science Teaching Award, sponsored by Shell Oil Company
- Awardee: Joseph Ruhl, science teacher, Jefferson High School, Lafayette, Indiana
- Finalist: Gregory Benedis-Grab, elementary science teacher, The School at Columbia University, New York, New York
- Finalist: Glenn Wagner, science teacher, Centre Wellington District High School, Fergus, Ontario, Canada
Shell Science Lab Challenge, sponsored by Shell Oil Company
- Grand Prize Winner: Kristy Martens, science teacher, Westmount Charter School, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
- National Finalist: Jennifer Bagardi, science teacher, Jalen Rose Leadership Academy, Detroit, Michigan
- National Finalist: Lance Doss, science teacher, Wagoner High School, Wagoner, Oklahoma
- National Finalist: Dr. Manuel Paul Peña, science teacher, Longfellow High School for Pregnant & Parenting Mothers, Minneapolis, Minnesota
- National Finalist: Denise Ponte and Joseph Mastroeni, science teachers, Roy W. Brown Middle School, Bergenfield, New Jersey
Sylvia Shugrue Award for Elementary School Teachers
Sergio de Alba, elementary teacher, RM Miano Elementary School, Los Banos, California
Vernier Software & Technology Awards, sponsored by Vernier Software & Technology
- Elementary Level : Zoe Jorgensen, science teacher, AH Bush Elementary Magnet School, Idaho Falls, Idaho
- Middle Level: Shannon Hudson, science teacher, Tuttle Middle School, Crawfordsville, Indiana
- Middle Level: Christopher Widmaier, science teacher, World of Inquiry School #58 Rochester, New York
- High School Level: Jaqueline Bondell & Ershela Sims, science teachers, North Carolina School of Science & Math, Durham, North Carolina
- High School Level: Sharla Dowding, science teacher, Newcastle High School, Newcastle, Wyoming
- High School Level: John Genesic, science teacher, New Prairie High School, New Carlisle, Indiana
- College Level: Venkatesh Gopal, professor, Elmhurst College, Elmhurst, Illinois
Wendell G. Mohling Outstanding Aerospace Educator Award, Co-sponsored by Sally Ride Science and Northrop Grumman Foundation
Stephanie Wright, director, Aerospace Education Foundation, Smyrna, Delaware
"NSTA awardees bring both passion and patience to the day-to-day teaching of science,” said NSTA Executive Director Dr. Francis Eberle. “We honor these educators for their lifelong dedication and for instilling a sense of wonder in students through imaginative and innovative science education”
NSTA encourages science educators to apply for its 2013 teacher awards. Applications and information can be found online at www.nsta.org/about/awards.aspx.
About NSTA
The Arlington, VA-based National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) is the largest professional organization in the world promoting excellence and innovation in science teaching and learning for all. NSTA's current membership includes approximately 60,000 science teachers, science supervisors, administrators, scientists, business and industry representatives, and others involved in science education.
Contact
Kate Falk, NSTA
(703) 312-9211
kfalk@nsta.org
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