Nina was raised in Santa Barbara, CA. As an undergraduate at the University of California, San Diego, she studied Biology with an emphasis on Ecology, Behavior, and Evolution. During this time she participated in research studying salt marsh restoration and aerial insect biodiversity. As a teaching assistant, Nina discovered her passion for science education. This led her to an internship at Project Wildlife, where she developed NGSS-aligned lessons on native species. After graduating, she joined Teach for America and earned her teaching credential and master’s degree in education from Loyola Marymount University. Her thesis was a qualitative study to assess factors underlying the disparity in girls’ interest in STEM, including what variables specifically contribute to confidence in STEM within underserved communities. For the past nine years, she has taught high school Environmental Science, Biology, and Chemistry in South Central Los Angeles. She currently leads the science department and coaches developing teachers. In 2022 she began graduate school at the University of California, Irvine, and is working on completing a Master’s in Conservation and Restoration Science. Nina is passionate about increasing access for underrepresented groups in Ecology through education and believes that science outreach is critical to mitigating the impacts of current and future global change.

Personal Statement:

Since 2014, I have had the opportunity to teach high school science at Renee and Meyer Luskin Academy. But whether I was introducing the topic of invasive species in Biology, or ocean acidification in Environmental Science, it is necessary to recognize that our students will be tasked with developing solutions to these human-caused crises. Especially important to me is increasing access for students in communities that are disproportionately affected by environmental degradation and climate change. As a teacher working for an underserved community, it is my belief that all students inherently want to learn and deserve access to a rigorous and relevant education. In science education, there is a unique opportunity to engage students in scientific phenomena and the questions they generate around their real-world experiences. It is my belief that through the design of student-driven and hands-on learning experiences, I can help inspire the next generation of environmental stewards. 

Dr. Lisa Bircher taught science at East Palestine Schools in East Palestine, Ohio for thirty years. Although Lisa is most comfortable teaching high school biology and anatomy/physiology; she has also taught Physical Science, Environmental Science, Oceanography and seventh grade life science, over the course of her career. Lisa has been recognized by Kappa Delta Pi as both a Teacher of Honor, and Master Teacher of Honor recipient. She has also been recognized as Presidential Innovation Award for Environmental Educators for EPA Region 5. Lisa holds a Ph.D. from Kent State University in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis in science education. Lisa believes one of the most important contributions she has made to teaching was the creation of a high school science club, and outdoor classroom for East Palestine Schools, intended to be used by all staff, students, and the community for outdoor exploration and education. Lisa also enjoys paper crafting, diamond painting, sewing, and mixed media painting in her spare time. Lisa always enjoys opportunities to write creatively, and is presently working on her memoirs of thirty years teaching science.

Personal Statement:

Dr. Bircher believes that all students learn best when they are actively engaged in real-world learning opportunities. Whether these opportunities are lab-based, project-based, or service-learning oriented, she feels all students deserve to be involved in experiences that expand beyond the classroom. She believes learning science is a lot like learning a new language, and the learner must use science in their life experience to become truly proficient. Science can, and should include outdoor learning opportunities and projects that span time, space, as well cut across traditional curriculum boundaries. She believes science is one of the most important ways of knowing the world in the 21st century, and therefore, all creative opportunities should be embraced in teaching and learning science. In an effort to create scientifically literate citizens, she has helped students engage in numerous project and citizen science efforts. In the pursuit of these goals, Dr. Bircher has earned numerous grants to fund these projects, and has also written several articles for National Science Teachers Association in an effort to educate other teachers about how it is possible to reach students with these opportunities.  

Rebecca Brewer has taught biology at Troy High School in Michigan for 23 years and co-authored a biology textbook called Biology Now. She has created educational resources for Science Friday, PBS NewsHour, the Curie Society, the Fred Hutch Cancer Center, BSCS, the Centers for Disease Control, NSTA, MiniOne Systems, and the National Center for Science Education (NCSE). The snake speciation storyline she authored for NCSE was featured at the NABT Evolution Symposium in Atlanta in 2021 and virtually at the NABT Darwin Day Webinar in 2022. This past July, Rebecca co-hosted a one-day workshop for 30 Michigan teachers featuring the NCSE snake speciation storyline, and thanks to a grant from the Society for the Study of Evolution, was able to provide the teachers with kits to bring this resource back to their classrooms.

Rebecca is a Teacher Ambassador for the Teacher Institute for Evolutionary Science (TIES), NCSE, and Concord Consortium, along with a Teacher Consultant for MiniOne Systems where she trains teachers on their equipment at CollegeBoard AP Biology Summer Institutes. She worked with Concord Consortium and Michigan State University on a 4-year NSF grant to develop the ConnectedBio simulation on deer mice evolution. Her freshmen students have piloted the EvolvingSTEM curriculum, allowing them to witness bacteria evolve in under a week. While her AP Biology students have worked with yEvo to observe yeast evolve tolerance to caffeine, with the results of this 5-week research study being published soon.

Rebecca serves as the Michigan Director for the NABT Outstanding Biology Teacher Award Program and was herself an honoree in 2008. She has received over 40 educational grants, most notably $27,000 for her classroom as the 2011 first-place winner of the ING (Voya) Unsung Hero Award.

Personal Statement:

Evolution is the foundation of biology and spans all the units of my biology courses. An ongoing driving question my classes revisit is "How is life so diverse, yet so similar?". To tackle this query, students conduct scientific investigations that examine authentic data, argue from evidence, connect concepts within and between units, and present what they uncover through model construction. The ultimate goal is to shift instruction to a deeper analysis of biological concepts and facilitate student discourse to guide their sensemaking and learning progression.

bio and statement needed

Dr. Stanley Lo is a Teaching Professor (with tenure) of Cell and Developmental Biology and Affiliate Faculty in the Joint Doctoral Program in Mathematics and Science Education and the Research Ethics Program at University of California San Diego. Collaborative projects in his research group examine how faculty conceptions of diversity inform their instructional and mentoring practices, explore how student identities intersect with their experiences and learning, and develop and implement innovative programs to support student success. Dr. Lo earned his B.S. and M.S. in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry from Yale University and Ph.D. in Biochemistry from Harvard University. Before graduate school, he was a high school science instructor at Phillips Exeter Academy, where he first developed his interests in teaching and education research, and prior to moving to California, he was a Senior Research Associate in Learning Sciences at Searle Center for Advancing Learning and Teaching at Northwestern University. At UC San Diego, Dr. Lo developed and teaches a large introductory course-based undergraduate research experience on soil microbiomes for over 2,000 first-year undergraduates each year, a variety of courses that integrate topics of racism with genetics concepts, and graduate courses on learning theories and student identities in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Dr. Lo was a National Academies Education Fellow in Life Sciences in 2011, National Academic Education Mentor in Life Sciences in 2012-2016, and President of the Society for the Advancement of Biology Education Research in 2021-2022. He currently serves as an editor for CBE-Life Sciences Education and CourseSource.

Karla Kaun is an Associate Professor in the Department of Neuroscience at Brown University. She is a behavioral neurogeneticist by training and is fascinated with the genetic, molecular and cellular mechanisms of memory and addiction. She developed and teaches Neurogenetics courses at Brown University and is passionate about incorporating approaches to increase interest and engagement in course material. Her research team investigates how alcohol and drugs of abuse influence the molecular mechanisms underlying memory formation to induce cravings. To investigate this her team uses a multidisciplinary approach combining behavior with in vivo imaging, genetics, molecular biology, biochemistry and bioinformatics in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. She has developed methods to make Drosophila neurogenetics research accessible for students of all ages and enjoys opportunities to engage in hands-on science into her local community. Karla is the 2023-24 president for the International Behavioural and Neural Genetics Society, enjoys collaborating, and is an advocate for innovative teaching methods to decolonize STEM.

Neurogenetics is a very new field at the frontier of neuroscience that brings together geneticists and neuroscientists in pursuit of the common goal of understanding the nervous system. Through the two primary courses I developed and teach: Introduction to Neurogenetics, and Behavioral Neurogenetics Laboratory, I’ve created learning environments that develop both an appreciation for and the skillsets necessary to develop an in-depth knowledge of the field of Neurogenetics, and to understand and employ Neurogenetics research. My goal as a genetics educator is to inspire students with the desire, appreciation and ability to learn. I also believe it is important to rethink education to improve equity and inclusion, and I do so by incorporating creative and interdisciplinary experiential learning in my courses. Deeper Learning encompasses the ideology that students that are very engaged in a specific aspect of the course material think critically, collaborate, communicate effectively, direct their own learning, and believe in themselves. Introduction to Neurogenetics and Behavioral Neurogenetics Lab incorporate this philosophy by: 1) allowing students to choose a topic within the field of neurogenetics that engages them, and 2) using interactive learning techniques that involve class discussion and peer feedback. Through development of ideas, reiterative writing and sharing their projects, students gain an understanding of the central theories and methodologies of the field of neurogenetics, and gain an understanding that science is a continual process of investigation and interpretation. I’m grateful to my students and fellow educators for inspiring me to improve the ways I learn and teach.

William F. McComas is the inaugural holder of the Parks Family Endowed Professorship in Science Education at the University of Arkansas following service as a secondary school biology teacher in suburban Philadelphia and professorship at the University of Southern California.  He is interested in laboratory teaching, informal science learning, evolution education, science for gifted learners and the intersection of philosophy of science and science instruction. McComas has given more than 100 keynote speeches in the U.S. and a dozen other countries and writes frequently on a variety of science education topics.  His book Nature of Science in Science Instruction: Rationales and Strategies (Springer, 2020) joins The Language of Science Education (Brill, 2014) and a pictorial account of The Scopes Monkey Trial (Acadia, 2016) co-written with Randy Moore. McComas has been the Editor of The American Biology Teacher for more than a decade. He has been honored by NABT, NSTA, NCSE and ASTE for work in evolution education, research in biology teaching, innovations in college science teaching and mentorship. He is president-elect of the Association for Science Teacher Education (ASTE).  McComas was a Fulbright Fellow at Dublin City University, Ireland, is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and the Linnean Society (UK) and has been named a Distinguished Professor at the University of Arkansas. He is particularly proud of the students whose dissertations he chaired, fifteen of whom are now professors of science education.

Valerie received her undergraduate degree in biology from Eastern University in St. Davids, Pennsylvania, and a Master of Education from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She began her teaching career twenty-six years ago at Walpole High School and spent the last 24 teaching at The Woodstock Academy in Woodstock, CT. The Woodstock Academy is an independent school in rural Connecticut that serves students from six small public school districts as well as boarding students from every corner of the globe. Valerie teaches various courses, including college prep Biology and AP Biology, and dual enrollment courses through the University of Connecticut in Biotechnology and Environmental Science. In addition to teaching, she is the advisor of the Woodstock Academy Medical Club and Science National Honor Society and serves on the Board of Trustees Academic Committee. In 2012, Valerie was a member of the NABT/BSCS AP Biology Teacher Academy. This pivotal opportunity started a parallel career in providing professional development experiences to fellow biology educators. Valerie has served as HHMI BioInteractive Ambassador since 2014. She has worked with teachers across the country through school partnership workshops, national science teachers’ conferences (NSTA & NABT), and online workshops provided by BioInteractive. It is an honor to be this year’s recipient of the Kim Foglia AP Biology Service Award. Kim Foglia selflessly shared her resources and had a strong influence on how I shaped my approach to teaching AP Biology. As for many others, she was a lifeline as I navigated the complexities of the course.

While my primary goal as a biology teacher is to guide my students to better understand the natural world, my ultimate goal is to prepare students for the world they will encounter outside my classroom and the challenges that will inevitably come their way. When facilitating professional development workshops for other biology teachers across the country or contributing to online communities of AP Biology teachers, I try to focus on building other teachers’ confidence to take on the work in a way that benefits students.

I graduated from North Park University with a bachelor's in Secondary Education and Biology. I started my teaching career as a part-time Biology and Chemistry teacher and Aide at Glenbrook South High School. After 2 years in district 225, I moved to Wheeling High School where I have been teaching for the last 3 school years in Freshman Biology, Honors Biology, and 10-12 Physical Science. I returned to North Park and this past spring, and graduated with my Masters in Education in Language, Literacy, and Culture in order to play more of a role in EL and Bilingual Science Education.

My journey in Biology education resonates with a strong desire to stimulate students and leave them with a long lasting understanding of Biology, Life Science, and Science-centered skills which could be carried with them beyond the classroom. This also means striving to create an environment where all students experience belonging, acceptance, and success in science. In my practice I am constantly seeking opportunities to involve students in the class room and in the process of their own learning through language, experience, and teamwork. When students come to Biology, the possibilities are endless. We become zoo keepers, geneticists, and marine biologists; while also embracing that we are diverse learners, multilingual peoples, artists, writers, athletes and mathematicians. My goal is for my students to leave the classroom as more educated students, but also as more experienced individuals. Individuals who know that they belong: in zoology, epidemiology, and physiology... because they first felt that they belonged in Freshman Biology.

Dr. Shmaefsky is a professor of environmental science and IRB Chair at Lone Star College – Kingwood, near Houston, Texas. Environmental science is his primary teaching responsibility, although he does occasionally teach general biology and anatomy & physiology. Dr. Shmaefsky did his initial graduate studies in environmental physiology using fungi and then plants as research models. Several years later he pursued an Ed.D in science education to focus his efforts on science teaching. He worked as a biochemist for Sigma-Aldrich chemical company in Missouri before pursuing full-time college teaching at Southern Illinois University- Edwardsville, Northwestern Oklahoma State University, and Lone Star College. Aside from teaching college students, Dr. Shmaefsky has a passion for educating the public about biological science and environmental justice topics. He has authored several human disease books for a general readership series called Deadly Diseases and Epidemics into addition to writing chapters in technical books on phytoremediation. Dr. Shmaefsky has also given many science presentations for civic groups, policymakers, schools, and senior centers. Dr. Shmaefsky has shifted his professional research efforts to developing best practices in college science teaching.

I truly enjoy being in a two-year college setting teaching a discipline that many students find esoteric and challenging. Like many of my students, I was a first-generation college student from an underrepresented community and was working to pay for college. I focus my teaching on using active learning strategies, content relevancy, place-based learning, and DEI to engage a broad audience of students in the course content. My students learn how the data collected by environmental scientists can be used for public good. They also learn that jobs in environmental science are accessible through a variety of career options. My students design and conduct civic engagement projects and community-based research studies to help communities that are exposed to environmental justice and public health inequities. I want my students to be advocates for science and not just memorizers of science content. My role as a Professional Development Fellow for my college permits me to share best practices in 2-year college teaching with colleagues at my college and at professional organization conferences.