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ZEBULON - Greg Waits, a high school science teacher at Pike County High School in Zebulon, Georgia has been selected to join an elite group of just 40 middle and high school teachers from across the country to participate in the prestigious Siemens Teachers as Researchers (STARs) fellowship program.
STARs was developed by the Siemens Foundation, a division of global powerhouse Siemens Corporation that supports educational initiatives in the areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM); Discovery Education, the leading provider of digital content and professional development for K-12 classrooms; and Oak Ridge Associated Universities. The program is part of the Siemens STEM Academy, a national, online professional development community designed to support educators in their efforts to foster student achievement in STEM, and in doing so, to help nurture tomorrow’s scientists and engineers by inspiring students to pursue these fields of learning.
This annual summer event will take place at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) largest, multi-purpose, national research laboratory from June 8-20, 2014 and is designed to empower teachers to bring the excitement of real-world research into their classrooms and inspire students to pursue science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education.
During the program, Greg, along with other educators from across the country, will work with some of the nation’s top scientists on short-term projects focused on the most current and innovative scientific research happening today.
In addition to conducting research side-by-side with leading scientists, Greg and the other STARs participants will also benefit from a number of facility tours and seminars aimed to assist teachers in effectively incorporating science and math research into their classrooms. Each teacher will also receive a grant to purchase equipment and/or supplies for their classrooms.
Readers can find out more about the Siemens Foundation or Discovery Education, by visiting www.siemensstemacademy.com. Congratulations to Greg Waits!