In this Issue:
- NABT Welcomes New Leaders
- Call for Proposals: NABT2018 in (warm and sunny) San Diego
- Bertha Vazquez Recognized with 2017 NABT Evolution Education Award
- Announcing the Passing of Larry Flammer
- Request Certificates from NABT to Recognize Your Student Scientists
- College Level Faculty Needed for AP Biology Reading
- Nominate a K-6 Teacher for the PAEMST
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NABT Welcomes New Leaders
Please join us in welcoming:
- Mr. Brian Dempsey from Acton-Boxborough Regional High School, Acton, MA, NABT Director-at-Large
- Ms. Lindsey Carter from Butler Community College, Rose Hill, KS, NABT Director-at-Large
- Dr. Julie Angle from Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, NABT Director/Coordinator
- Dr. Anna Hiatt from University of Nebraska Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, Region IV Coordinator
- Mr. Camden Hanzlick-Burton from Summit Sierra High School, Seattle, WA, Region IX Coordinator
- Ms. Elissa Odgren from Red Deer College, Red Deer, Alberta, Region X Coordinator
- Ms. Katrina Marcos from Western Wyoming Community College, Rock Springs, WY, Chair, Two-Year College Section
- Dr. Kristy Daniel from Texas State University, San Marcos, TX, Chair, Four-Year College & University Section
- Ms. Sherry Annee from Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School, Indianapolis, IN, who has recently begun her term as President-Elect of NABT
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Call for Proposals: NABT2018 in (warm and sunny) San Diego
Do you have a great idea for a presentation for the
2018 NABT Conference
in San Diego? There is only one way to find out!
Submit your session proposal online at
NABT2018 Session Proposals
.
NABT will accept sessions until 11:59 PM Eastern Time on Thursday, March 15, 2018
(that's 10:59 PM Central, 9:59 PM Mountain, and 8:59 PM Pacific).
The NABT Professional Development Committee is looking for sessions that cover a full range of topics relevant to biology and life science education. In addition to content-specific sessions, presentations highlighting instructional strategies and science practices are encouraged. Formats in this call for proposals include 30 and 75-minute options in a variety of formats. All sessions will be reviewed and acceptance notifications will be emailed to primary presenters by May 1, 2018.
The NABT allows you to submit, edit, and save your session proposal by visiting
https://nabt.secure-platform.com/a
. Please note that this password-protected site is different from the NABT website at
www.NABT.org.
You will be required to create a profile for the submissions portal if you did not use it in 2017
.
Please send questions to
conference@nabt.org
or call (888) 501-NABT. And please submit your session by March 15th!
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Bertha Vazquez Recognized with
2017 NABT Evolution Education Award
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine report entitled "
Science Teachers' Learning: Enhancing Opportunities, Creating Supportive Contexts
" states what many middle-level teachers know all too well. In today's science classroom, they would need to teach a "discipline-specific class for which they have little preparation or an integrated science class that spans fields beyond those they have studied."
"Middle school science teachers are our system’s jack of all trades. It is virtually impossible to become an expert in all of our content areas," said Bertha Vazquez. "My greatest resource for developing effective lesson plans has been my fellow middle school science teachers." She also appreciates that all teachers "teach best what we know best." One of the subjects Bertha knows best is evolution.
Bertha Vazquez has been teaching middle school science in Miami-Dade County Public Schools for 27 years, joining the faculty at Carver in 1991. She is a National Board Certified Teacher and the recipient of several national and local honors, including the 2014
Samsung’s $150,000 Solve For Tomorrow Contest
and the 2009 Charles C. Bartlett Award from the National Environmental Education Foundation Award. She was also named the Miami-Dade
Science Teacher of the Year
in 1997, 2008, and 2017 and is currently one of Florida’s 2017 finalists for
The Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching
.
"Like the countless teachers who have kindly opened up their file cabinets and generously offered me their lessons, I wanted to provide something meaningful for my fellow science teacher," said Bertha in an essay for the
Evolution Award
. In 2009, Bertha wrote a series of chapter questions to accompany Dr. Neil Shubin's book, "Your Inner Fish". As a thank you, Dr. Shubin sent a cast of
Tiktaalik roseae
, which thrilled Bertha's students and colleagues. Then in 2013, Bertha conducted a series of evolution-focused workshops for her fellow teachers at Carver. She shared her experiences with Dr. Richard Dawkins, who offered to host a presentation at her school that attracted numerous science teachers in Miami-Dade County. Dr. Dawkins recognized that middle school teachers needed high-quality professional development to help them teach current topics in evolution with confidence, and established the
Teacher Institute for Evolutionary Science (TIES)
in 2015 with Bertha Vazquez at the helm.
For the past two years, TIES has established a core group of biology teachers, scientists, and college professors who have presented over 55 professional development opportunities for middle school science teachers across the country. The workshops range from 60 minutes to day-long events and provide middle school teachers with free resources and support to teach their state evolution standards effectively in their classrooms.
"I have to remind myself every day why I am working so hard; I want to share the thrill that 'there is grandeur in this view of life' with America’s young people."
Ms. Bertha Vazquez's passion and energy continue to inspire her students, her fellow teachers, and our community. We congratulate her once again for receiving the
2017 NABT Evolution Education Award.
The NABT Evolution Education Award is sponsored by
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Announcing the Passing of
Larry Flammer
As many of you know, our good friend and colleague Larry Flammer passed away on December 13, 2017 at the age of 83. Larry was highly active in the biology teacher community and was probably best known for his dedication to evolution education.
Larry was born in Los Angeles on March 28, 1934. He graduated from Humboldt State University with a B.A. in Zoology in 1956 and from the University of Washington with a M.S. in Zoology in 1962. He then returned to Humboldt to earn his teaching credential and soon after began working in the Campbell Union High School District in San Jose, California. In 1997 Larry retired from Del Mar High School after teaching biology for 38 years.
A master teacher and mentor, Larry was passionate about supporting biology teachers and is responsible for helping to create and administer the website for the
Evolution and Nature of Science Institutes (ENSI)
. ENSI was founded in the late 1980's to "improve the teaching of evolution in High School Biology courses by encouraging teachers to teach evolutionary thinking in the context of a more complete understanding of modern scientific thinking."
Larry outlined his approach to teaching evolution and the nature of science in his 2006 article, "
The Evolution Solution: Teaching Evolution Without Conflict
". The article was only one of many contributions Larry made to
The American Biology Teacher
, where he was both an author and reviewer of manuscripts. He was a prolific writer and created lessons and resources for a number of organizations in addition to ENSI, including NABT, NCSE, and in 2007 Larry wrote a lesson for WGBH to accompany the NOVA program "Judgment Day - Intelligent Design On Trial." In 2014, he produced the eBook "Science Surprises: Exploring the Nature of Science" and the teacher's guide, "TEACH Science Surprises."
Larry's work will continue to inspire biology educators for years to come and we send our deepest condolences to his family and friends.
Anyone wishing to make a donation to help continue the ENSI website can make a memorial contribution in Larry's name through the Indiana University Foundation at
www.myiu.org/one-time-gift
.
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Request Certificates from NABT to Recognize Your Student Scientists
NABT loves to celebrate science at all levels and provides award certificates to science fairs and schools across the country to recognize outstanding student projects. You can request certificates for your local, state or regional science fairs at
2018 Science Fair Certificates.
Thank you for helping NABT support these budding biologists in their scientific endeavors.
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College Level Faculty Needed for
AP Biology Reading
Attention all 2-year and 4-year college and university faculty:
The College Board
is requesting your expertise at the AP Biology Reading. The AP Biology Reading is an annual gathering of over 700 biology educators from high schools and colleges who strive to accurately score over 250,000 student responses from the AP Biology examination. As a university professor, your participation provides academic strength to the AP program.
NABT’s mission is palpable in Kansas City, as Readers share experiences and expertise with colleagues from around the globe, keep up with trends and developments in the field, and grow professionally.
While at the Read, you will become part of a community of introductory biology educators whose experiences will assist you in engaging and reaching your first year and sophomore students. You can find out more at
bit.ly/apbioread
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Nominate a K-6 Teacher for the PAEMST
Do you know a K-6 mathematics or science teacher whose impact is both within and beyond the classroom? Help celebrate the future of STEM education by nominating a teacher for the
Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST)
at
http://bit.ly/2pgbcOW
!
The PAEMST are the highest honors bestowed by the United States government specifically for K-12 mathematics and science (including computer science) teaching. Established by Congress in 1983, the President may recognize up to 108 exemplary teachers each year.
Nominations close on April 1, 2018, and applications are due May 1, 2018
.
Visit
http://bit.ly/2pgbcOW
to learn more about the award or nominate a deserving teacher. You may also contact
info@paemst.org
or 855-723-6780 should you have any questions about the program or the nomination process.
The National Science Foundation administers the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST) on behalf of
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2018 NABT Professional
Development Conference
November 8-11, 2018
Sheraton San Diego Hotel & Marina
San Diego, CA
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NABT
P.O. Box 3363
Warrenton, VA 20188
Phone: (888) 501-NABT
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Notices that appear in
News & Views
are announcements only and do not indicate an endorsement by NABT. Permission is granted by the National Association of Biology Teachers for libraries and other users to make reproductions for their own or their client's personal, noncommercial, or internal use.
copyright © 2017 All rights reserved
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