STEM Educators Take Tech Awards

Seven educators from throughout the United States were recognized in the annual NSTA/Vernier Technology Awards last week for their use or planned use of data collection technology in enhancing their STEM teaching efforts.

The winning educators were:

Elementary School
Judy Heitkamp,  Prairie Elementary School, Worthington, MN, for her plans to use data-collection technology with her fourth-grade students to study how humans can affect the quality of the water supply in their community.

Middle School
Nicole Anderson, Berkeley Preparatory School, Tampa, FL, for developing an innovative cross-curricular activity that connects biology, mathematics, and engineering using robotics and sensors.

Cynthia Ollendyke, Peters Township Middle School, McMurray, PA, for her plan to have students use probeware to determine whether the area behind the school is environmentally healthy.

High School
Steve Ahn, Abingdon High School, Abingdon, VA, for his plan to have his students use GPS and sensor data to predict the type of underlying base rock along the Virginia Creeper bike trail.

Stephen Biscotte, Cave Spring High School, Roanoke, VA, for creating a physicians-in-training program, in which he uses physiology sensors to incorporate real-world experiences into his anatomy and physiology curriculum.

Deborah Carder, Fruitvale High School, Fruitvale, TX, for her plan to have students do water-quality testing on the retention ponds located on school property.

College
Brian Geislinger, Gadsden State Community College, Gadsden, AL, for his project in which introductory astronomy students used a light sensor to measure small variations in light intensity as a "planet" orbits a star in a model solar system he created.

Vernier Software & Technology founders David and Christine Vernier presented the annual NSTA/Vernier Technology Awards last week at the NSTA Conference in Philadelphia.

Winners were chosen by an NSTA-approved panel of science and technology experts, and each received up to $3,000 in total prizes, including $1,000 cash, up to an additional $1,000 in reimbursement for personal expenses incurred while attending the NSTA Conference and awards banquet, and $1,000 in Vernier products to aid their respective efforts.

For further information on the 2010 winners and for entry requirements for the 2011 NSTA/Vernier Awards, visit the Web page here.

About the Author

Scott Aronowitz is a freelance writer based in Las Vegas. He has covered the technology, advertising, and entertainment sectors for seven years. He can be reached here.

Featured

  • elementary school boy using a laptop with a glowing digital brain above his head and circuit lines extending outward

    The Brain Drain: How Overreliance on AI May Erode Creativity and Critical Thinking

    Just as sedentary lifestyles have reshaped our physical health, our dependence on AI, algorithms, and digital tools is reshaping how we think, and the effects aren't always positive.

  • robot brain with various technology and business icons

    Google Cloud Study: Early Agentic AI Adopters See Better ROI

    Google Cloud has released its second annual ROI of AI study, finding that 52% of enterprise organizations now deploy AI agents in production environments. The comprehensive survey of 3,466 senior leaders across 24 countries highlights the emergence of a distinct group of "agentic AI early adopters" who are achieving measurably higher returns on their AI investments.

  • tutor and student working together at a laptop

    You've Paid for Tutoring. Here's How to Make Sure It Works.

    As districts and states nationwide invest in tutoring, it remains one of the best tools in our educational toolkit, yielding positive impacts on student learning at scale. But to maximize return on investment, both financially and academically, we must focus on improving implementation.

  • blue and green network lines

    HPE Intros Agentic AI Enhancements to Mist Platform

    HPE recently introduced new capabilities for its Juniper Mist platform that leverage agentic AI to enable more autonomous, intelligent, and proactive network operations.