After a variety of interesting and unusual jobs, Kirk Beckendorf realized that teaching was his passion in life.  For seventeen years, he has taught science to middle school students and is now spending his second year as an Einstein Fellow at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.  Beckendorf says that a middle school teacher should expect their students to be bouncing off the walls. He doesn't try to contain that energy; instead he utilizes it to facilitate an excitement for learning.  He describes his students as being actively engaged, out of their seats, building, designing, or discussing their ideas and thoughts.  He doesn't like a silent classroom.  His approach apparently works as he has coached award winning teams of students at state Robotics and Science Olympiad contests and his former students are now working in Congress and, literally, as rocket scientists for NASA.

Beckendorf was chosen as an Albert Einstein Fellow with the 2008-2009 class and was selected by NOAA's Office of Education.  He began working with the Environmental Literacy Grants Team to help develop and plan future funding opportunities and he has led the effort to evaluate the office's historic grants portfolio.  He also edited NOAA's 2009 Strategic Education Plan and reviewed the public comments as they were submitted.  His sponsor asked him to stay a second year to help develop a new NOAA Education website.  During this second fellowship year, he is significantly involved in the website's design and development. Beckendorf organized a focus group of teachers (including Einstein Fellows) to help guide this process and he also performed a literature review of the research on teacher use of websites and the efficacy of education websites. As a result he wrote a white paper to guide NOAA's online education resources.

As a member of the NOAA Outreach Team, Beckendorf has been an exhibiter and presenter at all eight of the NSTA conventions over the last two years.  Presentation topics have included Climate Change, Coral Reefs, the Teacher At Sea Program, and using NOAA Data in the Classroom. In addition, he was asked to be a member of the Hurricane Awareness Tour, flying onboard (and actually flying) a NOAA Hurricane Hunter P3-Orion aircraft.

Contact Kirk at kirk.beckendorf@noaa.gov

Marti Canipe is a middle school science teacher from North Carolina.  During her twelve years at B'nai Shalom Day School, she taught third through eighth grade science, kindergarten through eighth grade technology, middle school mathematics, and eighth grade humanities.  She has also served as the school's technology coordinator for the last seven years.

Marti Canipe strives to help her students see the connections between the material they learn in the classroom and the world around them.  She does this through hands-on activities as well as integration of new technologies.  It is her goal that students leaving her classroom will be critical consumers of the vast amount of information available to them.

Canipe contributed a chapter to the monograph, Inner Life of the Child in Nature: Presence and Practice: 2006-2008.  She also served as a reviewer for the AQI Toolkit for Teachers, published in September, 2008 by the Environmental Protection Agency.  She has presented numerous sessions at the North Carolina Science Teachers' Annual Conference, North Carolina Educational Technology Conference, and North Carolina Association of Independent Schools Technology Conference and was selected for a National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Teacher Institute studying Pueblo culture in the Southwest United States.

Marti is spending her Fellowship Year at the National Science Foundation's Office of Polar Programs.  One of her tasks is planning the Joint Science Education Tour in Greenland, which brings together a group of educators and students from Denmark, Greenland, and the United States to visit scientific sites in Greenland including the Summit Research Station on the Greenlandic Ice Sheet. 
 
Marti has developed a Deliciousâ„¢ site of polar education resources for teachers that are categorized by grade level and subject area.  She has also compiled a list of polar researchers by state to encourage classroom visits, and developed a guide for scientists who are planning classroom visits that was featured on the NSF website.

She was also selected as one of 120 teachers to attend the International Polar Year Science Conference in Oslo, Norway.  While in Oslo, Marti will also give a presentation detailing NSF's investments in information science education during the International Polar Year.  

Contact Marti at mcanipe@nsf.gov

Jonathan Davies earned both his B.S. in Biology and Teaching Credential in Life Science at Humboldt State University. For nearly 15 years, he has taught middle and high school science in California and Oregon with the last two years at West Linn High School in West Linn, Oregon. At West Linn he has served as Science Fair coordinator and is proud to have successfully augmented and redesigned the program. This has increased the participation to well over 100 students annually, many of whom have gone on to compete and win at the state and national level.

Davies has actively participated in several research fellowships such as the M.J. Murdock: Partners in Science at Portland State University doing research on organic solar cells. He also participated in research for three summers through the Industry Initiative for Science & Math Educators (IISME) at both the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab and Roche Pharmaceutical, both in the San Francisco Bay Area.

During his time at the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency/Renewable Energy he has worked on a number of projects, a highlight of which has been working to define energy literacy. This definition, as it relates to the DOE will eventually lead to a Strategic Education Plan for the office. It will allow program managers to assess their current involvement in education efforts and effectively target new programs and curriculum efforts to fill any gaps in their program's overall education portfolio. As well, he has been involved in workforce development in the STEM arena as it relates to the energy sector, especially in the 'green' workforce.

In the fall Davies will return to West Linn to continue his career as a STEM educator. Davies foresees taking on an increased participation in STEM initiatives at both the district and state level.

Contact Jonathan at Jonathan.Davies@ee.doe.gov

Originally from Washington State, Edou obtained her B.A. in Mathematics at Whittier College, her M.Ed. in Secondary Education of Mathematics through the College of New Jersey's international program in Johannesburg, South Africa, and her Ed.D in Educational Leadership with a program administration credential at Seattle University.

During her 17 years as an educator, Tracey has worked abroad and in the U.S. and acquired a global perspective on education. Starting her teaching career as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Gabon, Central Africa, Tracey has taught in three educational systems: Gabonese, French, and U.S. After her return to the U.S. in 2003, Edou taught secondary math and science and worked as a professional development coach for math teachers in Washington State. In particular, Tracey spent five years with the Renton School District, well-known for its staff commitment to academic achievement for a diverse student body. Edou shares Renton School District's commitment to diversity and is passionate about the strengths it can bring to a classroom and to society as a whole.

As a 2009-2010 Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellow, Edou served in the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science, Workforce Development for Teachers and Scientists. There, she facilitated organizational structure for Academies Creating Teacher Scientist, a research-based teacher professional development program. She also served as a co-editor of the Journal of Undergraduate Research, participated in outreach activities, and collaborated on a number of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education initiatives.

After her Fellowship, she will work as an Education Project Manager at Oak Ridge Associated Universities in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.

Contact Tracey at tracey.edou@science.doe.gov

Kristen Edwards earned her B.A. in Biology at the University of Minnesota and is currently pursuing her Masters in Marine Science at the University of South Alabama. She has also studied abroad in Costa Rica as a recipient of a Miller-Levine Tropical Biology Scholarship and has participated in a 6-week Research Experiences for Teachers course in Florida. Edwards taught science (grades 10-12) in the Lee County School District in Marianna, Arkansas for almost ten years.

Edwards was resourceful in finding ways to obtain supplies for her classroom as well as seeking out grants and more funding to purchase science-related tools to enhance her students' hands-on knowledge in the classroom.

"My school is located in a severely economically depressed region - nearly all of our students qualify for free lunch. I received very limited - if any - funding each year for supplies for my classroom and had to do something in order to provide my students with laboratory supplies and content specific software through small grants from various sources," says Edwards.

Edwards is assigned to the Office of Education at NASA Headquarters. During her Fellowship, she has participated in inter- and intra-agency meetings, contributed her "teacher's perspective" to educational materials and contests, and written to students and teachers who are seeking information about NASA programs and opportunities. Through her fellowship, she has also attended workshops, seminars, and symposia related to formal and informal science, technology, engineering and mathematics education.

Edwards recently assisted in the planning of the education launch conference for STS-131; last October, she traveled to Florida to support NASA's education event celebrating Buzz Lightyear's return from the International Space Station. A life scientist by training, Edwards plans to spend a portion of the second year of her fellowship at NASA working with the NASA visitor centers to create an education program (tentatively called "Nature at NASA") based on the diverse ecology of their locations. Edwards also hopes to bring awareness of the perspective and concerns of her community and school district to the national level.

Contact Kristen at kristen.a.edwards@nasa.gov

Mark D. Greenman has served as a physics teacher, teacher mentor, K-12 computer director, K-12 math director and K-12 science director for Marblehead Public Schools, a school district just north of Boston Massachusetts. He has worked with more than 400 teachers throughout Massachusetts providing laboratory-based content institutes through grants won from the state of Massachusetts. Mark has published articles in teaching methodology, teacher preparation, computer education, electrodynamics and electronics, and he shares best practices and his enthusiasm for teaching and learning through presentations and workshops at national and regional conferences.

Mark brings to his teaching a passion for science and a philosophy that can be succinctly expressed as "nature speaks." His teaching style is that of a facilitator and arbiter of intellectual debate. New ideas are paraded in front of students through laboratory experiences that lead to dialog, debate, and directed consensus. Nature is presented as the final authority. Mark's class whether for young adults, new teachers, or veteran teachers is filled with high expectations for all, lively and respectful dialog, and humor. Mark's greatest satisfaction as a teacher comes when he sees the joy he has for science and math reflected back to him through his students' eyes.

Mark holds a M.S. in physics and a B.A. in physics with a minor in mathematics. Mark has been inducted into the physics national honor society (Sigma Pi Sigma), math national honor society (Kappa Mu Epsilon), and is recipient of the Massachusetts Educational Technology Advisory Council's Path Finder award, the North Shore Science Supervisors' Exemplary Teacher award, the Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship, and is presently a finalist for the Presidential Award for Excellence in Math and Science Teaching for the state of Massachusetts.

Contact Mark at mgreenma@nsf.gov

Eduardo Guevara earned his B.S. in Biology at Universidad del Valle, his M.S. in Fisheries & Allied Cultures at Auburn University, and his Ph.D. in Educational Administration at the University of South Carolina. Guevara brings decades of teaching experience from secondary, post-secondary, community education and outreach, extension and informal education settings in the U.S., Colombia, and Mexico. For the past 9 years, he has worked in Texas high schools located in low socio-economic status neighborhoods in the Houston Metropolitan area.

Dr. Guevara authored a project-based learning model, the Student Centered Sheltered Instructional Approach (SSIA) Model, which improved academic achievement, classroom management, and parental involvement for at-risk students enrolled in five Texas Independent school districts. During his nine year tenure, he has also identified gaps in science education for limited English proficiency in students. Most of these students initially show self-learned helplessness, low self-esteem, and lack of motivation to learn science. Guevara has long sought methods and ideas that help these students achieve all that they can both in and out of school. Guevara presented the results of the implementation of the SSIA Model during the last three years in five Texan school districts, at the Annual NSTA Conference, held in Philadelphia in March 2010.

During his first year as Einstein Fellow at the Office of Representative Mike Honda (D-CA), Doctor Guevara's Portfolio includes: Education (Special Education, Bilingual Learners - also known as ELL's, Pre K-Middle, Secondary and Post-secondary Education, GI Bill), Climate Change, Veterans Affairs, Animal Rights, and protection of Human Rights and Sustainable Development in Colombia. Also, Eduardo has been instrumental in the preparation of three Bills submitted by Rep. Honda to the consideration of the 111th Congress: HR 4832 (One America, Many Voices, also known as the Bilingual Pay Bill), H. Res. 1322 (The Einstein Resolution, celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Einstein Fellowship Program), and the Innovation Prize Bill (a Competitive Award Program promoting the use of computer technology in the classroom). Dr. Guevara has been selected to serve a second term as an Einstein Fellow in Capitol Hill, where he will continue his contributions preparing Legislation and sharing his expertise and skills to increase educational opportunities in the United States.

Contact Eduardo at Eduardo.guevara@mail.house.gov

Mark Hannum is a high school math, science, engineering, and physics teacher. He has taught at the American International School in Salzburg Germany and Benjamin Banneker High School, in Washington, DC. He has also served as adjunct faculty at American University and George Washington University.

He received his Bachelors of Arts in Physics and Mathematics from Kalamazoo College in Michigan. After studying in Bonn, Germany for a time, he continued his studies at George Mason University in Virginia where he received his Masters of Science in Applied and Engineering Physics. Hannum has been a US Department of Education Teacher-2-Teacher trainer, a program in which he designed professional development workshops for other math and science teachers around the country.

Hannum's classes are an experiential, inquiry based approach to teaching. He says that it is a master teacher who can cover specific content in an organized and structured manner, yet do so in a way that involves and integrates students' lives into the material.

Hannum has worked with his students to compete in the FIRST robotics competition. The competition, he says, has done more to open the world of STEM to his students that anything else. His students, through their participation in FIRST and other programs, do not see themselves as disadvantaged urban youth, but as intelligent and strong leaders of tomorrow. They have become innovators and inventors of technology rather than just consumers.

This is Hannum's second year as an Einstein fellow and he is again working at the National Science Foundation in the Division of Graduate Education under the Graduate STEM Fellows in K-12 Education program(GK-12). Hannum brings the classroom teacher's perspective to all aspects of the GK-12 program including new award evaluation and post award monitoring. As he did in his first Fellowship year, he has reviewed, monitored and advised on reports and requests and has participated in post award site visits as well as strategic planning and policy decision.

Contact Mark at mhannum@nsf.gov

Kirk A. Janowiak has been teaching biology and environmental sciences the past two decades at Delphi Community High School in central Indiana. Initially schooled and trained as a field biologist in wildlife biology and earning a Masters in wildlife ecology, he later pursued a Masters in biology education and then brought his love of the natural world into the classroom. He considers his classroom a "living room" in the fullest sense of the term, so he cultures a variety of living organisms with which his students interact.

In addition to classroom teaching, Janowiak has served in leadership roles for several state-level organizations to foster relevant and useful professional development for science teachers at all grade levels. His commitment to helping to improve science education and science teaching is also reflected in the large number of student teachers he has accepted into his classroom and the many newly-minted teachers he has mentored. He has been recognized by the National Association of Science Teachers (NABT), receiving the Outstanding Biology Teacher Award; was the inaugural recipient of the Christel deHaan Family Foundation Project e! Excellence in Education Award; and has been a finalist for the PAEMST.

During his fellowship year, he has been posted at the Department of Energy's Office of Science, Office of Workforce Development for Scientists and Teachers (WDTS). There he has leveraged his background, expertise, and classroom experience in WDTS's efforts to evaluate and improve STEM education across DOE programs. In addition, he has co-edited the DOE Journal of Undergraduate Research, provided evaluative research and analysis of the STEM workforce, acted as a WDTS program analyst, given STEM Education and STEM Workforce presentations, and has participated in a number of Inter-agency Workgroups and Committees where has worked to improve communication and STEM education efforts between the various U.S. Government science mission agencies.

Contact Kirk at kirk.janowiak@science.doe.gov

Arundhati Jayarao is a Legislative Fellow at the Office of Senator Kirsten E. Gillibrand, and is the lead staffer on P-20 STEM and higher education issues. Arundhati works on a wide array of issues ranging from student loans, afterschool programs, STEM education, K-12 engineering education and minorities in STEM programs and is a core member of a team organizing Senator Gillibrand's first New York State College Presidents' Summit. She advises her office on education funding priorities and recommends appropriation letters that the Senator should sign.  In addition to keeping abreast of national and New York State education issues, Arundhati's day-to-day tasks involve meeting with constituents and lobbyists, researching legislation, writing talking points, narratives and briefings for the senator. She has had the satisfaction of seeing her memos appear in Senator's statements. 

As an educator and female physicist passionate about motivating girls into engineering careers and broadening participation through projects like Rube Goldberg machines and rocketry challenges, it was not surprising that she was instrumental in having her boss introduce engineering education (E2) for innovation act and sponsor the national engineering week resolution. Arundhati wrote floor statements for the Senator, which meant that her work is now incorporated in the Congressional record. She is currently engaged in getting the STEM legislation and other pieces sponsored by Senator Gillibrand included in the ESEA reauthorization and COMPETES act.

Arundhati Jayarao was a Master Teacher at Oakcrest School, Virginia and taught physics and AP Chemistry for seven years.  Arundhati worked for fifteen years as a physicist at Bhabha Atomic Research Center, Mumbai, India where she earned her PhD in theoretical physics/math while working in the area of quantum optics, and has several publications to her credit. She received her B.S. in Math, Physics, and Chemistry from Nizam College and her M.S. in Physics at Hyderabad Central University.

Arundhati is the 2008 recipient of Governor's Outstanding Educator Award and the 2007 Coach Award for Regional Winners of NSTA-Toshiba's Exploravision Competition. She was an invited panelist on STEM education at Society for Women Engineers and at Woodrow Wilson Center.

Arundhati's experience at the Senate office has prepared her to take on a larger role in STEM education policy as a returning second year fellow.

Contact Arundhati at Arundhati_Jayarao@gillibrand.senate.gov

Kera Johnson is a high school mathematics teacher from Springbrook High School in Montgomery County, MD.  She has taught technology and mathematics in Maryland Public Schools for the past decade.  Prior to that, she worked as a software engineer.   Kera  is a passionate educator who inspires her students to excellence by offering them a direct bridge from their daily academics to the world of professional experience.

An honors graduate of Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia, Kera received her Master's degree in Secondary Education, specializing in Mathematics, from Bowie State University in Maryland.  In 2002, she was selected as a Maryland Technology Academy Leadership Fellow, a position from which she mentored teachers to promote effective integration of technology into instruction.  She was also honored as a semi-finalist for the Maryland Council of Teachers of Mathematics (MCTM) Mathematics Teacher on the Year Award in 2003.

Johnson was selected as an Einstein Fellow in 2008 and served in the National Science Foundation's Directorate for Education and Human Resources in the Division of Research on Learning in Formal and Informal Settings with the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching Program. 

At the end of her Fellowship, Kera was invited to return as a 2009-2010 Einstein Fellow to support various aspects of the CISE Pathways to Revitalized Undergraduate Computing Education (CPATH) program.   In her new role, Kera has helped facilitate PI meetings and conferences, assisted with research and data collection of CPATH projects, and prepared summary information for current and historical awards through the program.  Additionally, Kera provided support to the CISE Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Sites program.

Contact Kera at kerjohns@nsf.gov

Camsie Matis has been teaching mathematics and science for ten years in inner-city public schools.  Matis began her career in STEM education at the Colorado School of Mines, where she was the recipient of the Engineering Days Scholarship in 1993. After spending the summer of 1995 at the Moscow State University, Matis transferred to the University of Denver, graduating magma cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa with a Bachelor of Arts in both General Engineering and Political Science.  Following graduation from DU, Matis received a United States Ford Foundation Fellowship to study democratization in Eastern Europe.   

Her teaching career began in 1999 in Oakland, CA, where Matis taught at Westlake Middle School for six years.    Matis attended the Harvard Graduate School of Education in 2004-2005, earning a Master of Education in Teaching and Learning.  Upon completion of her Master's, Matis was recruited to serve in a leadership role during the opening of New Day Academy, a small public 6th-12th grade school in the South Bronx, NY.  Matis worked with several other Harvard graduates and veteran educators from New York City in the design of the school, and served as Instructional Leader for Math and Science during 2005-2006.  In 2006, Matis returned to the classroom to teach algebra at East Side Community High School in Manhattan. Matis was the recipient of the Fund for Teachers Fellowship to spend a summer in the Yucatan, Mexico to study Mayan mathematics and Spanish language and culture.  She was also named a New York State Finalist for the 2009 Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching.

Matis is spending her Fellowship year in the Broadening Participation in Computing program at NSF.  In addition to analyzing proposals and writing reviews and recommendations, she is representing the agency at various events around the country, including delivering the keynote address at STEMapalooza in Denver to 800 girls, and participating in the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing in Tucson.  However, her most significant contribution this year is as the K-12 Educator on the National Lab Day Leadership Team.  Matis has represented National Lab Day at numerous events across the country, including both NSTA and NCTM National Conferences.  Most recently, Matis coordinated the Washington, DC National Lab Day celebration week and helped bring various senior members of the Cabinet and major federal agencies into DC Public Schools to celebrate hands-on STEM education.

Contact Camsie at cmatis@nsf.gov

John Moore was faculty member at the Burlington County Institute of Technology in Medford, NJ for over 28 years. He developed the Geospatial Technologies Program, a Career Major, workforce development program, for students grades 9-12 pursuing careers in STEM related fields. John began his career at BCIT designing and teaching the Environmental Studies Program with a particular focus on the use of real time data, satellite imagery, computer visualizations and other remote sensing data sets.

The State of New Jersey named Moore the NJ Conservation Teacher of the Year in four separate years.  He has also received the NJ Environmental Educator of the Year by the NJ Audubon Society, the NJ AgriScience Teacher of the Year by the NJ FFA, and the NJ Wall-Mart/Phi Delta Kappa Teacher of the Year.  Recently, John was recognized by the National Association of Geoscience Teachers as the "Outstanding Earth Science Teacher of the Year" in NJ and for was named the Eastern Section OEST which is comprised of seven states. 

He is a contributing author for two texts on Environmental Sustainability, has pioneered and lectured around the world on topics relating to the incorporating remote sensing and use of real time data in the pre-college classroom.  John is the NJ GLOBE Program Partner Director and an American Metrological Society Education Resource Agent and is also a Local Implementation Team Leader for the AMS DataStreme Online graduate pre-college teacher courses.  John is also an AMS Maury Project Peer Trainer, a teacher enhancement program hosted by the US Naval Academy.

He holds undergraduate degrees in Urban Planning and Environmental Science from Stockton State College in NJ, a Master's degree in Environmental Conservation and Education from Rowan University in NJ, and has completed requirements at Temple University in the pursuit of an Ed.D. in Science Education.

Moore is spending his fellowship year at the National Science Foundation where he serves in the Directorate for Geosciences.

Contact John at jdmoore@nsf.gov

Dennis A. Newell has spent his career teaching many different subjects at the middle level. His first three years in the self-contained classroom, bursting with nearly forty seventh graders, required seven different preparations and taught him efficiency and teamwork. Since then, he has evolved into a motivational coach, an advocate, a collaborator, negotiator, innovator, a leader, a role model, a therapist and a little bit of an actor. His next twenty years at Emporia Middle School was devoted exclusively as an algebra/mathematics teacher, working with pre-service teachers, piloting new math curriculum and completing his Master's degree. The emergence of technology into the middle school brought his collaboration to design a new computer applications class, "CONNECT" which he taught in addition to his math schedule for five years. The need for a highly qualified science teacher for his special needs team challenged him to complete his English as a Second Language Endorsement and National Board Certification in Adolescence Science over the next five years. His interdisciplinary approach next led him to the Industrial Arts Shop class to blueprint an all inclusive STEM classroom where advance concepts of trigonometry, chemistry, and physics could employ high interest activities like kite aerial photography, kaleidoscopes, and wind-powered energy into real world problem-based learning.

Newell's involvement within his community includes serving as a leader and volunteer for various local church and community organizations and projects like Catholic Charities and Habitat for Humanity. On a state level, his actions currently includes being Co-Chair of the KCCN (Kansas Coalition of Children in Nature), as part of the governor's "Leave No Child Left Inside" executive order.

During his Fellowship at the National Science Foundation's DRL (Division of Research on Learning in Formal and Informal Settings), Newell's experience with ISE (Informal Science Education), ITEST (Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers), and PAEMST (Presidential Awards for Excellence in Math and Science Teaching) has provided insight into new research and funding of those ideas.

Newell will return from his Fellowship to the district's virtual school encouraged by the use of cyber learning as a way to learn anytime, anywhere. He believes that every person needs to develop of wide range of skills to successfully live in a world that has yet to be created.

Contact Dennis at dnewell@nsf.gov

For almost 22 years, Steve Obenhaus taught Math to Kansas students in grades 7-12 . During that time, he actively participated in several organizations such as the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, the National Science Teachers Association, and the Kansas Exemplary Educators Network. In 2007, Obenhaus was honored with the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching. In his Kansas school, Obenhaus taught Advanced Placement Calculus and served as the math resource faculty for 21st Century Biotechnology and Geoscience programs. Obenhaus developed the interdisciplinary Distinguished Scholars Math Program at Olathe North High School where promising students engage in a two-year-long research project as they pursue their high school diploma.

Obenhaus teaches that math is not so much a body of knowledge but is rather a tool with which one can better understand the world and effect change. Obenhaus' teaching techniques have consistently drawn his students into extraordinary projects that result in honors for the student and benefits to others.

Steve is spending his Fellowship year in the office of Senator Joseph Lieberman, who chairs the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. As a Fellow, Obenhaus is focused on the needs of the DC education system and the challenges related to urban education. Obenhaus also oversees pending legislation on STEM Education issues and ESEA reauthorization. He also monitors how Federal policies affect Connecticut education.

In handling constituent inquiries, Steve was moved by the plight of a constituent who had been unfairly and adversely affected by federal law extending emergency benefits to the unemployed. Finding that there are numerous others who have been similarly harmed by the law, Obenhaus has been working to find a solution to the broader issues through the regulatory agencies and legislative staff. Ironically, he says, this unemployment issue has done the most to confirm that he found the right place to serve his fellowship.

When his fellowship year is completed, Obenhaus will join the faculty at the University of Kansas as a Master Teacher in the UKanTeach program which prepares math and science undergraduate majors to become certified to teach in secondary schools.

Contact Steve at Steven_Obenhaus@lieberman.senate.gov

Heather Pacheco holds a B.S. in Geology and Geological Oceanography from the University of Rhode Island and an M.Ed. in Science Education from the University of Massachusetts at Boston. To round out her Earth Systems content knowledge, Heather has engaged in coursework across the country in meteorology, oceanography, environmental science and ecology.

She has taught Grades 9-12 Earth Systems Science and Environmental Science at Framingham High School in Massachusetts for eight years. Finding a lack of a full systems-oriented curriculum, Pacheco developed an integrated, hands-on approach to earth systems curriculum for the high school's Earth Systems Program. Intrigued by applications of geospatial technology, Heather integrated GIS into the Earth Systems and Environmental Science curricula. This has afforded Heather's students, whose socioeconomic profiles varies widely, to have equitable access to cutting edge technologies and learning methods.

Pacheco won the "Above and Beyond Award for Excellence in Science and Technology" from the Massachusetts Technology Leadership Council for her integration of technology in the classroom and was nominated for a PAEMST award.

Pacheco is spending her Fellowship year with the Directorate for Geosciences at the National Science Foundation where, in addition to the Geoscience Education and Opportunities for Enhancing Diversity in the Geosciences programs managed by her sponsor's office, she is focusing on three main arenas: Best practices for broader impacts involving K-12, Climate Change Education and Earth Systems Science in America.

Pacheco will be attending Arizona State University after she leaves NSF in pursuit of a PhD in Science Education. Her research will be focused on leveraging broader impacts efforts across STEM disciplines to provide continuous support excellent K-12 teacher and student programs.

Contact Heather at hpacheco@nsf.gov

Anthonette Peña is a National Board Certified Science Teacher who taught for 6 years at a Title 1 school in Palm Beach County, FL. She earned her BA in Liberal Studies from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo and an MS degree from Nova Southeastern University in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. Her Florida Educator's Certificate includes certifications in Middle Grades General Science, Middle Grades Integrated Curriculum, ESOL, and Media Specialist.

Peña is a Girl Scout Troop Leader, a coordinator for the International Coastal Clean Up, a Palm Beach County Sea Turtle Program Volunteer, school coordinator for the annual South Florida Science Museum: Drop It, Build It, Fly It, Launch It Competition, and a member of Leadership Palm Beach County. She also served as a mentor for new teachers.

She participated in the Summer Spanish Institute for Teachers at the University of Valladolid, Spain, the Japan Fulbright Memorial Fund Teacher Program and the Toyota International Teacher Program to Costa Rica.

In 2008 Peña was selected as an Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellow and was assigned to the Division of Research on Learning in Formal and Informal Settings at the National Science Foundation (NSF) where she helps to coordinate the Presidential Award for Excellence in Math and Science Teaching (PAEMST) program. She was asked to return for a second year and continues to be a member of the PAEMST team.

In her role as an Einstein Fellow, she has assisted with coordinating the National Selection Committee meeting where panelists come to NSF to read, review and select PAEMST awardees. She has helped to plan and coordinate Recognition Week when the PAEMST awardees come to Washington DC to celebrate their award and participate in a professional development program. She has also participated in the planning and coordination of the PAEMST State Coordinators Meeting as well as updating and revising the application.

Contact Anthonette at apena@nsf.gov

Peterson is serving her Einstein Fellowship with the K-12 team in the House of Representatives Committee on Education and Labor, chaired by Representative George Miller of California. While with the Committee she has helped to craft a series of hearings on the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. She also assists with reviewing legislation and gathers input from constituent meetings and briefings. She is often asked to read materials with her "teacher hat on" so that staff members have a teacher's perspective on issues. Peterson came to the Hill "to listen, learn, and question with the aim of contributing to policy and programs that keep in mind what is best for children."

Peterson earned her B.S. in Chemistry at UCLA and her M.S and Ph.D. degrees in Analytical Chemistry at the University of Washington. Her research was in the field of forensic toxicology. Alongside her research she was thoroughly engaged in strengthening undergraduate education, earning the Chemistry Department's Outstanding Student Service Award for these efforts. After finishing graduate school she served on a National Research Council project to attract scientists to careers in K-12 education.

In 1998 she began teaching at Lakeside School in Seattle where she has taught science, math, and technology. For 8 years she has focused on teaching an integrated math and science course to fifth graders. She has chaired her school's Professional Development Committee, co-led professional development workshops at the Woodland Park Zoo, and taught in a variety of programs specifically designed to increase diversity in STEM, including Rainier Scholars.

Peterson gravitated to middle school teaching because she feels it is a key point where students learn to integrate mathematical and scientific ideas, while simultaneously developing their metacognitive abilities.

"In middle school, students are encouraged to think about what they know and how they know it. I encourage my students to share their thought-process because it is critical to taking risks and achieving growth. I hope that my students ask questions and make mistakes, for each is an opportunity for learning," says Peterson.

She will return to teaching fifth grade in the Fall of 2010.

Contact Kristina at kristina.peterson@mail.house.gov

Simmons earned both his B.A and B.S at North Carolina State University in Chemistry and Biochemistry. For the past 9 years, Simmons has taught Physics, Chemistry, and Aerospace Science in Northeast Florida.

Simmons has blazed trails in the state of Florida and within the science community as well. He is the Founder and President of TEKNA-THEOS Inc., a non-profit whose mission is "to better educate students through space related biochemical and engineering research." He and his TTI students have designed a prototype bioreactor built by NASA contractors to investigate microgravity induced astronaut bone loss. He has served as Principal Investigator for several aerospace and education related projects.

Simmons took his students to both Tallahassee and Washington, D.C. to advocate for increased aerospace funding with both the Governor and legislators. He and his students have won numerous awards and participated in competitions such as the Army Corps of Engineering High School competitions and placed first in the Pete Conrad Spirit of Innovation national competition.

"Having been volleyball coach for several years I see the classroom value of being not only one who instructs and informs, but also one who edifies. While I believe that group problem solving and competitions are tremendous mechanisms for learning, a teacher/coach's enthusiastic support has a powerful and lasting effect. Having high expectations while encouraging students to do the impossible produces not only great results, but helps to develop great students."

During his fellowship, Kevin helped to increase the Foundation's understanding of the national need to engage students in engineering and aerospace-related competitive activities. Kevin will be staying a second year in the Engineering Directorate and will continue to support assessment of the division portfolio and better inform the public as to the numerous educational possibilities within the Industrial Innovation and Partnerships Division.

Contact Kevin at kesimmon@nsf.gov

Nancy Spillane has been a science teacher at The Williams School, a small independent day school in New London CT for twelve years. She has taught upper school Chemistry, in addition to middle school Life Science and Physical Science. For the past three years, she served as the Science Department Head. She has also worked extensively as the Volunteer Program Coordinator and volunteer science teacher in the elementary schools in her town. She has lived and taught in six states: both on the east and west coasts, and in Hawaii.

Spillane is dedicated to classroom teaching. She says, "Students learn by doing and by applying what they learn to the world around them: by making connections between scientific theory and practice". She has worked within the context of the traditional chemistry classroom to integrate experiences from the atmospheric, oceanographic, space, and materials sciences, and to establish connections with paleontology, microbiology and genetics. To acquire a better grasp of nuclear science as well as the human side of scientific research, her students have read, interpreted, and performed the play Copenhagen by Michael Frayn, experiencing the lives of Bohr and Heisenberg as they worked cooperatively and independently to understand the workings of the atom. To relate properties of substances to their chemical make-up, her students have written Materials Science Storybooks for younger children, putting difficult concepts into simple terms. They have composed songs about chemical principles, created biome travel advertisements, built compound machines performing useful tasks, and designed three-dimensional models of organelles and invertebrates.

Spillane earned a B.S. in Chemistry and a M.Ed. in Teacher Education from the University of Vermont. She was recognized for Teacher Excellence through The Brian J. Carey Award, and was awarded grants and scholarships for travel and academic study from the Ford Foundation, Pfizer Inc., and the Siemens Foundation. She has twice been recognized with a Groton Friend Education Award for Volunteer efforts in the local public schools.

Spillane is spending her Fellowship year with the National Science Foundation in the Division of Research on Learning in Formal and Informal Settings where she has been assigned to work with the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Math and Science Teaching Program and the DR K-12 Program.

Contact Nancy at nspillan@nsf.gov

Chris Tolbert is a high school engineering and technology teacher from West Wilkes High School in Wilkes County, North Carolina. Tolbert graduated with honors and received his Master of Science degree at UNC Charlotte in mechanical engineering in 2000 and was employed by Corning as an automation engineer. He began his teaching career in 2003 and was honored as Teacher of the Year in 2008 and also received the Gold Apple Teacher Award.

In addition to teaching, Tolbert is the head coach for the nationally recognized electric vehicle racing team. The Electric Vehicle (EV) Challenge offers high school students the opportunity to convert street legal vehicles from gas to electric and to compete against other high schools from across the nation. The EV program allows students to excel academically in science, technology, engineering, and math and also serves to educate the community and the nation by demonstrating viable solutions to our country's most pressing energy, transportation, and security issues. In four years the EV program has been honored with over 30 national awards.

Tolbert views the Einstein Fellowship as a unique opportunity and challenge that will help him contribute positive growth and direction to STEM education. The fellowship has allowed him to grow professionally and acquire skills and resources needed to improve the EV program and STEM education in Wilkes County. Mr. Tolbert's opportunities at the National Science Foundation (NSF) in the Office of Cyberinfrastructure (OCI) includes being an NSF Open Government Initiative Moderator, grant portfolio analyst, ADVANCE representative, and an assistant in the development of programs whose goal is to reach the underserved, at-risk, and students with disabilities in K-12 education. As a fellow Tolbert has been able to work alongside individuals at the National Science Foundation and collaborate with other fellows and government agencies that include the Department of Energy, NASA, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and fellows assigned to members of Congress and the House of Representatives Committee on Education and Labor.

Contact Chris at ctolbert@nsf.gov

Van Dusen earned his B.A. in Physics at the University of California at Berkeley and his Masters of Education in Educational Leadership at the University of Oregon. For the past five years, he has taught Physics and IB Physics (grades 9-12) at South Eugene High School, recognized by the U.S. Department of education as a premier high school in the nation.

Van Dusen has blazed trails internationally, throughout Oregon, and the science education industry. He and his father invented the world's largest completely three-dimensional model of the solar system that extends through a series of parks. He also designed an installation for the Portland Museum of Art that utilizes mirrors to create an interactive fractal image. He was awarded several grants such as the MJ Murdock Partners in Science Grant that allowed him to begin a new independent research project at the University of Oregon in the Taylor lab. Van Dusen has long demonstrated excellence and dedication to teaching worthy of the Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship.

"I don't teach in order to instruct kids on what to think. I teach in order to instruct kids on how to think."

Ben has served his fellowship at the National Science Foundation (NSF) Office of Directorate for Engineering. During his time there he has run several projects including the Industrial Innovation and Partnerships' (IIP) Committee of Visitors and creating a database of highlights.

At the end of his fellowship Ben will be enrolled at University of Colorado at Boulder where he will receive his PhD in Physics Education Research.

Contact Ben at bvandus@nsf.gov

Sue Whitsett has been a teacher of science since 1979. She earned a BS in secondary education with a major in biology and minor in chemistry from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. She taught 7th and 8th grade at St. Peter's Grade School in Oshkosh, Wisconsin from 1979-1984 and taught biology at Oshkosh West High School from 1985-1986. She completed her MS in curriculum and supervision with an emphasis in science education in 1986 at UW-Oshkosh. Sue continued her career in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin in 1986 teaching all levels of biology.

Sue Whitsett obtained her National Board Certification in 2001 in adolescent and young adulthood science. She strongly believes for students to learn science they need to do science. She incorporates many inquiry learning experiences into her teaching along with the skills necessary to be scientifically literate. She was awarded a Toyota TAPESTRY grant in 2001 to help her students do research on the retention ponds that house the geothermal heat exchange system for her high school.

Whitsett has been a member of the Wisconsin State Superintendent's Task Force on Adolescent Literacy and has been a contributor to two Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction documents dealing with state science curriculum. Sue has been a state finalist for the Presidential Award for Excellence in Math and Science on three occasions. She has served as the president and secretary of her state science teacher organization and has served as the District XII Director of NSTA. Whitsett is a facilitator for the electronic Mentoring for Student Success (eMSS), a national program through The New Teacher Center at Santa Cruz. She has continued her own professional growth in science by participating in the NSF sponsored Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) program for 6 summers doing research in the fields of molecular biology and nanotechnology.

During her Fellowship year, Whitsett has been assigned to the NSF Directorate of Biological Sciences, Division of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences, where she is analyzing proposals that have a K-12 component as part of the broader impact statement. She will co-chair a conference in June 2010, for 50 scientists to discuss integration of biological research and education. She has served the NSF as a summarizer for the panel reviews that occur biannually along with being a member of a working group that discusses undergraduate biological education. Next year Sue will continue the above activities and will do outreach to scientists about incorporating K-12 programs as part of their grants.

Contact Susan at swhitset@nsf.gov

Establishing and strengthening the links between K-12 students and the greater educational community are goals about which Sarah Yue is passionate. During her eight-year tenure at Hoover High School in Glendale, California, Sarah recruited college professors to work with her Science Olympiad team, brought her chemistry students to the local elementary school to perform science demonstration shows, and developed an advanced laboratory program connecting her AP science students to the local community college. Sarah has also sponsored student community service activities both nationally and internationally: as a teacher at Woodstock International School in Mussoorie, India, Sarah led service trips to a Missionaries of Charity orphanage and a home for disabled adults.

Sarah has a rich background in scientific research, co-authoring two papers and participating in research projects both locally and abroad.

She is a Barry Goldwater scholar and has written a laboratory manual featuring creative science experiments for secondary students. She was honored by Los Angeles County as the 2005 Teacher of the Year. Sarah has long demonstrated excellence and dedication to teaching worthy of the Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship.

Sarah served both years of her Einstein Fellowship at the National Science Foundation (NSF) Office of International Science and Engineering. While at NSF, Sarah served as a point person for research and education activities in the Americas region, particularly in Central America and the Caribbean. She also worked closely with NSF's International Research Experiences for Students program. Sarah recently accepted a position at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Office of Education, where she helps coordinate funding for formal and informal education through NOAA's Environmental Literacy Grants program.

Contact Sarah at syue@nsf.gov