Biography

I received a BS degree in biology from the University of New Hampshire, teaching certification and MA in biology from Central Connecticut State University, and MA in curriculum and instruction from the University of St. Joseph. During my twenty-seven years as an educator, I have worked with students from diverse backgrounds at East Hartford High School and South Windsor High School, where I currently teach general and AP biology.

During my career, I have developed and implemented NGSS curricula in my school districts as well as contributed to the book: Model-Based Inquiry for Biology. I worked with the UCONN Mentor Teacher Collaborative to contribute to the development of a STEM teaching tool. I was a part of a professional learning community focused on justice-centered science teaching that developed resources for implementing justice-centered work in the classroom. Additionally I authored a chapter about creating brave spaces in the classroom in the book: JuST Teach: Ambitious and Community-Centered Science Teaching.  

 Personal Statment

I strive to create a classroom where all student voices are heard and valued. In my classroom, students work together to ask questions and discover meaning. This leads them to gain a deeper understanding of science concepts rather than rote knowledge. I believe it is important to help students make connections between their lives and the world around them, which helps them to become informed citizens who are capable of contributing to society. I hope students leave my classroom not only with science knowledge, but also with empathy, kindness, and the ability to work with others towards a common goal.

Biography

I grew up in New Hampshire and have lived here all my life. After attending Keene State College, I obtained a position in the Lakes Region and have taught life science for 20 years at Newfound Regional High School. I have taught Physical Science, Chemistry, Zoology, Horticulture, Ecology, Biology, Early College Anatomy and Physiology, and AP Biology. I am the NRHS Science Department Chair and currently serve on the UNH Agroforestry Cohort.

Personal Statement

I believe science education should inspire curiosity and connect learning to the world around us. My goal is to create a classroom where all students feel valued, supported, and challenged to think critically and explore deeply.

For the past 20 years at Newfound Regional High School, I have taught a variety of life science courses—including Biology, Ecology, Anatomy and Physiology, and AP Biology—focusing on hands-on investigation and student inquiry. I want students to see science not as a collection of facts, but as a process of discovery that invites them to ask meaningful questions and seek evidence-based answers.

As Science Department Chair, I collaborate with colleagues to strengthen curriculum and promote engaging, relevant instruction. My work with the UNH Agroforestry Cohort reflects my commitment to lifelong learning and to connecting environmental science with practical, real-world applications.

Teaching science is both a privilege and a responsibility. I strive to model curiosity, integrity, and respect for evidence—qualities that empower students to become thoughtful, informed citizens who understand the impact of science on their lives and their future.

Biography

I have been teaching for 16 years with a clear intention of inspiring students to seek knowledge, learn and apply skills, solve complex problems and love science. I started my journey at Rutgers University-Newark as a learning specialist for  STEM courses. My job was to design a tutoring program to help students overcome barriers in those courses, primarily Biology and Chemistry. I noticed that many of my students were unprepared for college Biology and it was a subject that I enjoyed the most. This pushed to pursue a Masters in Biology and a Masters in Teaching. Right after, I started working at Science Park High School and I have been there since. My teaching load at the school includes College Preparatory Biology, AP Biology, AP Research, Biomedical Science, and Biochemistry. I am also the co-advisor of the Muslim Student Association, Engineering and Design Club, Chess club, and the Biology League. I like to play sports, read, travel, and spend time with my family outside of work.  

 Personal Statement

It is my belief that teaching is a human-centered practice. It is important for educators to embrace their humanity, which is needed to foster genuine and meaningful experiences within the classroom. It is something that students also need to see as younger humans. To me teaching is about the people in the learning environment more than the content itself. I enjoy Biology and I tell myself that my students need to enjoy it just as much or more.  Therefore, I curate my course with memorable learning experiences sprinkled with my personality.  A major part of a memorable experience is DOING biology. This allows my students to authentically express themselves comfortably and confidently while being present as learning is happening. I teach my students with high rigor and that naturally leads into failure for many. I teach them to embrace it and see the word FAIL as the First Attempt In Learning. Likewise, this helps them develop grit and seek more growth opportunities.  My goal for my students is to have this life-long love for Biology to the point that it becomes a second language to them.

Additionally, I believe that collaboration is essential to making dynamic programs across the school, district, state, nation, and world.  Working together adds an important layer of support for teachers. It can help some find solutions that already exist, share resources, find fabulous PD opportunities, or work with other leading professionals and industry partners to design and push for meaningful change. My goal outside of the classroom is to help design excellent programs in Biology and support teachers across the nation.

Biography

I teach AP Biology, AP Environmental Science, and Genetics at Frontier Senior High School near Buffalo, New York. I earned degrees in Biology, Science Education, Genetics, Genomics and Bioinformatics, and Learning and Teaching in Social Contexts, and my research focuses on improving scientific literacy through pedagogical changes in the high school classroom.

I love creating classrooms where students genuinely enjoy learning science. My classroom has developed somewhat of a “fun and over-the-top” reputation, built around hands-on labs, immersive activities, and experiences. In addition, I work with students in two science-based extracurriculars: the NASA HUNCH program, and our school’s Ecology Club. Watching multiple groups of students present their work at NASA's Johnson Space Center has been one of the greatest privileges of my career.

I also enjoy supporting fellow biology educators through professional development, curriculum development, and writing.

 Personal Statement

As Phil Collins sings in Tarzan, "In learning you will teach, and in teaching you will learn." That lyric has become one of my favorite descriptions of teaching because it reminds me that the classroom is a place where both students and I grow together. Every year my students challenge me, inspire new ideas, and reinforce why I love teaching biology.

My goal is to create a classroom where students genuinely look forward to learning. Biology should be engaging, somewhat chaotic, collaborative, and memorable. Whether we're modeling molecular biology through cooking, exploring ecology through local environmental issues, or turning the classroom into a gameshow as we practice chi-square calculations through the Monty Hall Problem, I want students to experience science as something they actively do rather than simply memorize.

More importantly, I hope students leave my classroom curious, confident, and equipped to think like scientists. And I hope they look back fondly and remember it being fun.

Biography

I earned my B.S. in Secondary Biology Education from The Pennsylvania State University and my Masters degree in Education from Cabrini University. This fall will be my 16th year in the classroom. I currently teach at Upper Merion Area High School where I have taught all levels of Biology from college preparatory to advanced placement. I am currently the advisor of the STEM Science Club and Mini THON club and have coached both soccer and track and field teams in the past. I also served on our school’s instructional support team for seven years. When I am not teaching, I enjoy spending time with my three children and husband, exploring the outdoors and watching Philadelphia sports teams.

 Personal Statement

I enjoy teaching through the use of phenomena, exploration, and data sets. A typical day in my classroom involves a lot of student collaboration and you would notice students actually doing science. Regardless of the level being taught, I am a firm believer that all students deserve a chance at the “good” or “fun” lessons. On a recent inservice day, a presenter asked us to write down one thing that we wanted our students to remember at the end of the school year. For me, it is not about recalling the organelles of the cell, the steps of protein synthesis or how to complete a punnett square. Being an excellent teacher is much more than the content - it is about fostering a joy of lifelong learning, curiosity, and exploration that pushes students to become a better version of themselves. I am hopeful that my students will remember their Biology class as a positive one that was filled with acceptance, challenges and experiences that they will remember throughout their lives.

Biography

I graduated from Duke University in 1981 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Botany and immediately began teaching at my alma mater, McDonogh School. After five years, I took a brief leave of absence to earn a Master of Science Degree in Botany at The Pennsylvania State University. Afterwards, I returned to McDonogh School for another forty years. During that time, I taught chemistry, environmental science, ecology, anatomy & physiology, and plant propagation, but my mainstay was all levels of biology.

For several summers, I worked for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, managing a work crew and helping run educational field trips. During the school year, I escorted many science classes on trips to Chesapeake Bay Foundation education centers, including Fox Island, Meredith Creek, Bishop’s Head, Tangier Island, Smith Island, Clagett Farm, Baltimore Harbor, Annapolis Skipjack, and others.

In addition to teaching life sciences, I coached wrestling for thirty years, served as a faculty sponsor for Fellowship of Christians in Universities and Schools & Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and with another colleague, ran the school’s annual Cardboard Boat Race.

I was awarded the Wright Abbot Teaching Chair in 2020 and the Yearbook Dedication in 2024.

Personal Statement

HEAR, SEE, DO!

Connect lab work to classwork. Structure equals function. Perfect practice makes perfect! If you want to get good at something, you must do it over and over again. There is no such thing as a free lunch. If you want to dance, you got to pay the fiddler. Ask questions.  

I believe that students learn best when they master essential vocabulary, see visual representations that depict the concepts studied, and do activities and labs that put the concepts to work and bring images to life. As Mark Twain’s “How to Harness a Horse” without using technical terms in, A Tramp Abroad, illustrates, a lack of vocabulary makes it more difficult to describe or comprehend a process. Nowhere is this truer than in the life sciences. Learning essential vocabulary makes class discussions more meaningful and understandable.

This approach requires practice, practice, practice (grit)! It demands that I answer the same questions repeatedly and that I invite students to schedule time to go over their tests one-on-one. Even kids that have trouble focusing, do better when one works directly with them. This takes time, of course, but the reward for teacher and student is worth it.

Once upon a time, the loudest and most extroverted students dominated my help time in the lab. The quiet students were not being well served. Then I started what I call, “The Help List” – a simple protocol that is what it sounds like. Students sign up for help on the whiteboard and I work my way down the list. If I make it through the list, we begin again with a new list. Students that were not reached go to the top of the list next time we meet.

Practices such as those outlined above build relationships which are at the core of what I value. Positive relationships and a growth mindset fuel effort and success. While hard work doesn’t guarantee success, a lack of effort takes away the opportunity for success. I respect and appreciate students’ grit and perseverance. I remind them that such a mindset and approach will, at least, give them the opportunity for success.

The best thing I can hear is that when a student returns from college for a visit, he or she tells me that he or she was well prepared for what came next.

Biography

I am a high school biology educator at Hopewell Valley Central High School in Pennington, NJ. I have taught all levels of biology over the last 10 years, and currently I teach AP and Honors Biology. I graduated from The College of New Jersey in 2015 with a B.S. in Biology-Secondary Education. I have dedicated my career to participating in and leading professional development that promotes student engagement and scientific literacy. I spent the early part of my career as a board member of the Biology Teachers Association of NJ. Most recently, I participated in the Humane Genetics study led by Dr. Brian Donovan, which aimed to reduce racism in the biology classroom by revising teaching practices in genetics. The work in this study inspired me to further pursue my education through the Masters in Biological Sciences program at Clemson University, where I am currently enrolled.

 Personal Statement

My desire to become a teacher came from the experience I had with undergraduate research. I was lucky enough to study under Dr. Tracy Kress for all four years of my undergraduate at TCNJ, where I eventually published my work in RNA Biology. I realized entering the lab for the first time as an undergraduate that I never really understood how science worked in the real world at all. This experience set me on a path to provide a classroom experience where we don’t just learn about science, rather we “do” science just like a real scientist does everyday. I want students to leave the classroom with both knowledge and skills that can make them informed citizens in our ever-changing world.

Since the start of my teaching career I have worked on bringing innovative practices to the classroom such as problem-based learning and phenomena-based learning to promote stronger scientific literacy in students. I have had a lot of support from great colleagues and mentors over the years, including Rob Richard, my college professor who started it all and nominated me for this award. In my career, I hope to inspire both my students and other educators to improve the way we teach and learn science.

Biography

I am a biology teacher at Seneca East High School in Attica, Ohio, where I teach Biology, Anatomy & Physiology, AP Biology, Marine Science, and Forensic Science. I also serve as an adjunct instructor through Bowling Green State University, allowing students to earn college credit while in high school. I earned my Bachelor of Science in Education from Bowling Green State University and my Master of Science in Biological Sciences from Clemson University. I am honored to be the 2026 Ohio Outstanding Biology Teacher, an award presented by the National Association of Biology Teachers. My teaching philosophy centers on helping students make sense of biology through inquiry, real-world applications, and meaningful connections across concepts. I strive to create a classroom where curiosity is encouraged, scientific thinking is developed, and every student has opportunities to engage with authentic investigations and see biology as relevant to their everyday lives.

Personal Statement

I believe biology is best learned through curiosity, investigation, and making meaningful connections. Rather than viewing science as a collection of isolated facts, I want students to understand how biological concepts interact to explain the world around them. My classroom emphasizes inquiry, collaboration, and evidence-based reasoning through hands-on investigations, real-world phenomena, and opportunities for students to analyze data and construct their own explanations. I strive to create an inclusive learning environment where all students are challenged, supported, and encouraged to think like scientists. My goal is for students to leave my classroom not only with a strong foundation in biology, but also with the confidence and scientific literacy to ask questions, evaluate evidence, and make informed decisions throughout their lives.  

Biography

I am a science teacher and STEM coach with 20 years of experience teaching in Kansas school districts. As a past president of the Kansas Association of Biology Teachers, I always enjoyed serving on our OBTA committee, and am so honored to be considered for this award.

I have been motivated by many past Kansas OBTA recipients, including Eric Kessler (2009) who, as my high school teacher, was my inspiration to pursue science education and my passion to provide my students with the most relevant, authentic research experiences possible. A recent highlight was the fall 2025 publication of my AP Biology students’ class research project “Phytoplankton abundance and methane emissions are minimally impacted by environmentally-relevant glyphosate concentrations in small-scale outdoor mesocosms” in the journal Water Research.

In addition to introductory biology, I have also taught AP and dual-enrollment College Biology, environmental science, microbiology, field ecology, and computer science courses. When I am not at school, I enjoy reading and spending time with my wife and daughter.

 Personal Statement

In science, like so many things in life, the process of learning and experimentation is more important than the individual outcomes. I think it is important to provide my students with chances to learn from every bump and twist and turn of the journey, building rich, interconnected schema where new information has a place to land and stick. To do this, I try to provide my students with as many chances to work through the sensemaking process through laboratory activities, cooperative learning practices, and research opportunities.

In a time when people turn to social media or their preferred AI seeking the “right answer” to any question placed in front of them, I think it is even more important we, as science teachers, train our students to slow down and dive into a problem. Our answers are seldom direct, straight-forward, or easy. But the sooner we can get our students to accept and embrace the inherent struggle within the scientific process, the better we are preparing them for success in any future path they may pursue.

 Biography

I am a national award-winning biology educator, recipient of the 2026 Robert E. Yager Exemplary Teaching Award, STEM Research Club founder, and researcher passionate about expanding equitable access to authentic STEM learning. I also received the Toshiba America Foundation Grant, Burns & McDonnell STEM Grant, Science Coaches Grant, and Project EXPLORE Grant. I serve as a Society for Science and Science Communication Lab Educator Ambassador, an AP Biology Reader for the College Board, and a Biology EOC Content Writer for the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. I also serve as a Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) Grand Award Judge and have judged several regional, national, and international STEM competitions.
My professional growth has been shaped by experiences as a North Carolina Science Leadership Fellow, IDEA Learners Fellow, NIEHS STaRS Research Fellow, and NC Energy Literacy Fellow. My research and publications focus on innovative biology education, artificial intelligence in STEM learning, and nanobiotechnology, with articles published in The Journal of Chemical Education, The American Biology Teacher, and ASBMB Today.

Personal Statement

My mission is to inspire curiosity, critical thinking, and scientific discovery by connecting classroom learning with real-world research experiences.

Biography

I am a biochemistry teacher at Flowing Wells High School (FWHS) in Tucson, Arizona. My educational background is in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, and I focused on marine intertidal zones. I have worked at FWHS for four years, where I have developed our Biochemistry curriculum to integrate local phenomena wherever possible. Alongside my colleagues, we have created a program that teaches our students hands-on skills while investigating the natural phenomena that drive life in the desert. I have taken on several opportunities for additional learning, most notably the BIORETS Santa Cruz River program and the Bioengineering & Sustainability Workshop at the University of Arizona. My learning in these courses has allowed me to develop new curriculum combining biotechnology and biodiversity. I have presented my work at the National Association of Science Teachers and look forward to future opportunities to share my work!

Personal Statement

I am a fifth year teacher working out of Tucson, Arizona.  I have been teaching Biochemistry at Flowing Wells High School since I started teaching. My career at Flowing Wells has allowed me the opportunity to develop curriculum and design new lab experiences for my students. My background in ecology has also encouraged me to incorporate field research into our curriculum. My teaching philosophy and goals focus largely on the community I am currently serving. I work in a small school district with a very diverse student population. Students show varying levels of interest in science, and my teaching philosophy aims to meet these varying levels of interest. Therefore, my two biggest goals as a teacher are to provide students with the hands-on skills necessary to enter the field of biology and to increase scientific literacy amongst all my students.

Biography

William Baur is a high school biology teacher, curriculum writer, and educational leader committed to helping students use science to improve their lives and the world around them. He teaches biology at Washougal High School, where his classroom centers on inquiry, collaboration, and solving authentic problems that connect biology to students' everyday experiences.

Beyond the classroom, William develops hands-on STEM curriculum for Class CrunchLabs and has written science curriculum for the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, EarthGen, IslandWood, OpenSciEd, and other organizations. He also facilitates professional learning for science educators across the country, supporting the implementation of high-quality, student-centered science instruction.

In 2025, William was honored as a Washington State finalist for the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST), recognizing his commitment to innovative and impactful biology instruction. He also serves as President of the Washington Science Teachers Association, where he works to expand access to high-quality science education and professional learning opportunities for educators across the state.

Whether teaching students, writing curriculum, or supporting fellow educators, William believes biology education should empower learners to ask meaningful questions, think critically, and use scientific understanding to improve the health of people and the environment.

Personal Statement

Everything I do as a biology teacher is grounded in two essential questions: 1) How can we help our friends, family, and ourselves live healthier lives? and 2) How can we better take care of the environment for all living things? These questions give purpose to every unit and help students see biology as a tool for understanding and improving the world around them.

My classroom is built on inquiry, collaboration, and scientific sensemaking. Students investigate authentic phenomena, ask their own questions, analyze evidence, and work together to develop explanations. Rather than memorizing isolated facts, they apply biological concepts to meaningful challenges, from redesigning healthier school lunches to exploring the impacts of human activity on ecosystems. My goal is for students to leave my classroom with more than a strong understanding of biology—they should have the confidence and skills to use scientific thinking to make informed decisions, solve real-world problems, and contribute positively to their communities and the environment.

Biography

I joined the staff at North Tahoe High School in 2016 after previously studying botany at the University of Vermont, and earning a P.h.D. in molecular and cell biology at the University of California, Berkeley. On a daily basis, I am filled with wonder and curiosity about the amazing complexities of the natural world. My favorite role as a scientist is teaching others how to use science as a way to explain the beauty of the natural world and to answer questions that are interesting to them. In my biology and AP biology classes, students use real scientific data to explain discordant events or resolve paradoxes to gain a better understanding of the underlying principles and rules that govern the universe.

Personal Statement

"We, curiously observe, carefully analyze, and clearly communicate” to explain science data in service of better understanding the natural world.

This mission statement encompasses how I think about teaching, learning, and doing science. I attempt to organize my instruction this way because learning science happens best by doing science. With that goal in mind, I aim to present unexplained phenomena and real data from nature to my students on a daily basis. I ask them to use their science skills (ex. NGSS science practices) to analyze these phenomena and draw conclusions about what they have observed. Finally, we communicate what we have learned to each other or a variety of other audiences, because clearly communicating what you learned forces you to clarify your own understanding. 

At its most basic level the process of doing science is: make an observation, analyze the data you collected, and communicate what you found to a broader audience. I believe doing science is also the best way to become invested in science while learning scientific concepts and practices at the same time.