2010 KSTF Teaching Fellows Poised to Transform Math and Science Education in United States High Schools

MOORESTOWN, N.J., June 7 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Knowles Science Teaching Foundation (KSTF), an advocate for new teachers and the teaching profession, has announced the recipients of its coveted 2010 KSTF Teaching Fellowships in biology, mathematics and physical sciences.  The incoming cohort of KSTF Teaching Fellows is comprised of 32 highly accomplished early-career teachers from 15 states committed to teaching science and mathematics in high schools across the nation.  

Explicitly designed to meet the needs of beginning teachers from the onset of the credentialing process through the early years of their careers, the KSTF Teaching Fellowships aim to reverse the disturbing national trend of nearly half of all teachers leaving the field within the first five years of teaching.  Each Fellow receives a five-year fellowship valued at up to $150,000 that includes mentoring, classroom materials, professional development and access to a network of like-minded colleagues and educators nationwide.

"We should never lose sight of the importance of keeping great teachers in the profession," said Dr. Angelo Collins, KSTF's Executive Director. "These Fellows are among the best and brightest of the next generation of math and science teachers.  Our program will help ensure that they reach their full potential and stay in the profession to become master teachers and leaders in education."

"KSTF will give me a head start as I learn from the cumulative work of hundreds of first time teachers, rather than having to figure it all out alone," said Sarah Macway, a KSTF Teaching Fellow from Lousiville, KY, who plans to teach in San Francisco.

The new KSTF Fellows represent a generation of teachers committed to reaching students from diverse backgrounds, with real-world approaches to teaching that make math and science relevant to their students' lives.

"Mastering a physics class means learning problem-solving skills that all students will be able to apply in life, not just those continuing in science," said Heather Moore, a KSTF Fellow from Fairport, NY, who plans to teach in League City, TX, in a school district committed to innovation in science teaching.

The new Fellows have already brought outstanding science and math teaching into classrooms across the country.  Some examples of how these young teachers are making science exciting and relevant to their students' lives are:

• Forming a student forensic science team to solve the 'crime' of a vandalized classroom by applying chemical concepts and investigating the chemical evidence left by the 'perpetrators' (Kevin Bock, Berkeley, CA)
• Designing a lesson on circuitry where students become the current that flows through a life-size circuit (Heather Moore, Fairport, NY)
• Making s'mores with students to help them understand and visualize the function of organelles, the tiny 'organs' within a cell (Kristen Germinario, Roxbury Township, NJ)

The KSTF Teaching Fellows also bring diverse life experiences to the classroom.  They are former engineers, meteorologists, published researchers and humanitarians dedicated to improving education in their communities and around the globe. Their accomplishments include:  

• Working as engineers with Exxon-Mobil in West Africa (Catherine Steinmetz, Chicago, IL) and with the Union Pacific Railroad in the United States  (Cassandra Little, Battle Creek, MI)
• Co-founding a pre-school in rural Dominican Republic (Rebekah Johnson, Pelican Rapids, MN); volunteer teaching in Ecuador (David Streib, Syracuse, NY) and Guatemala (Tyler Lucero, Rochester, NY)
• Earning PhDs in climatology (Andrea Grant, Portland, OR); atmospheric science (Adam Tripp, Idaho Springs, CO); and oncological sciences (Natalie Dutrow, McPherson, KS)

KSTF awarded its first four Teaching Fellowships in 2002. To date, there are 168 Teaching Fellows and alumni nationwide across 32 states.  Since the program's inception, KSTF Fellows have impacted more than 150,000 students.    

To view a full list of the 2010 KSTF Teaching Fellows, click here:

Biology Teaching Fellows

Mathematics Teaching Fellows

Physical Science Teaching Fellows

About KSTF

The Knowles Science Teaching Foundation (KSTF) was established by Janet H. and C. Harry Knowles in 1999 to increase the number of high quality high school science and mathematics teachers and ultimately improve math and science education in the United States.  The KSTF Teaching Fellowship, the Foundation's signature program, awards exceptional young men and women with a five-year early-career fellowship, empowering them to become master teachers and leaders in education.  For more information, visit www.kstf.org

SOURCE Knowles Science Teaching Foundation