Last year, we recognized Melissa Drury, Amanda Gillespie and Susan Stearns for their extensive achievements in expanding STEM education in Ohio. Melissa and Susan both have written in pieces for the OSLN blog and Amanda was interviewed in 2017 by her local paper.
To help inspire you to nominate a educator in your school or community, we’ve gathered together these conversations with the 2018 winners.
Girls build apps at techie camp with Melissa Drury, 2018 recipient of the Excellence in STEM Leadership Award
In 2016, we talked with Melissa and her students about an app development camp hosted by Summit Road Elementary in Reynoldsburg. At the time, Melissa was principal of the school. Today, she is the Berne Union Elementary.
Meet Amanda Gillespie, from STEAMM Academy at Hartford and 2018 winner of our Excellence in STEM Teaching Award
Amanda is constantly searching for new resources for her students and advocating for new ways for them to prepare for jobs in today’s fast-moving digital world. In this piece, she talks with the Canton Repository about her biggest challenges in teaching and her own interests, outside of the classroom.
Growing STEM at science symposium with under-represented Ohio students with Susan Stearns, 2018 recipient of the STEM Advocate Award
The Ohio Junior Science and Humanities Symposium turns students into scientists. Through the program, high school students spend months conducting original research into a scientific topic and then come together in to compete for prizes from U.S. Army and other supporting organizations. Susan talked with us about an effort by her and other staff at the Northwest Ohio Center for Excellence in STEM Education at BGSU to recruit many more students from Toledo Public Schools into this important opportunity.
Today is the final day to submit nominations for these awards in 2019. The STEM Innovation Awards recognize one awardee in each of the following areas:
- Excellence in STEM Teaching:Â The applicant must be an Ohio educator within a STEM field. We are seeking teachers who demonstrate STEM infused teaching strategies, classroom innovation, and positive student learning outcomes.
- Excellence in STEM Leadership:Â The applicant must be an Ohio school level or district level leader with a proven track-record of incorporating STEM into their school culture or developing STEM programs at the school or district level. We are seeking leaders who support and encourage teachers/schools to infuse STEM teaching strategies, classroom innovation, and positive student learning outcomes.
- Ohio STEM Advocate:Â The applicant must be an Ohio resident with experience advocating for STEM education through their leadership, community partnerships, and/or grassroots initiatives. We are seeking leaders who demonstrate a passion for the advancement of STEM education in Ohio that leads to positive student learning outcomes.