The Knowles Science Teaching Foundation awarded the fourth cohort of Science Teaching Fellowships in February 2005. For more information about our fellows, click on a picture.

Sarah Angell			Glen Botha	Irene Frank
Jeanine Gasper			Mary Lee McJimsey	Melanie McWilliams
Heather Murillo			Janeen Oberlander	Amy Perlman
Charles Sabatier			Howard Shen	Rachel Verbois

Sarah Angell

My father moved to Bentley Farm when he was eleven and since childhood, knew that he would grow up to be a farmer and a lawyer for the poor. My mother was raised in the Twin Cities of Minnesota and met my father at a Quaker college in Richmond, Indiana. Soon after their marriage, Dad brought Mom back to this 300-acre farm in the New York countryside. Mom and Dad lived in the small side of the farmhouse when I was born. The ceilings were so low that when you climbed the ladder-like staircase you had to duck your head. Insulation was virtually non-existent and for years to come Mom and Dad would say that they did not thaw out from that winter until July.

The Old Red Milk Barn was steps from our back door. I helped carry the empty one-gallon tin milk can to the rustic wooden table by the milk pump where Henry, the genteel farmer, would fill it once again. By the time it was back in our refrigerator, the cream was an inch thick at the top.

The farm defined my young life. My first words were "Cock-a-Doodle-Do." I adored an old pony on the farm named Hoover. I proudly sat on Dad's knee as we rode up and down Bentley Lane in a buggy behind the old pony. When I was one-year-old, Grandpa came to visit from Minnesota and slept in my room. He snored and I woke up saying, "Hoover is in my closet." Right before Isaac was born, we moved to another house on Bentley Farm that had higher ceilings and better insulation. When Mom was a girl, she thought that she would have two, maybe three children. But after Isaac came Nathaniel and then Luke, Hannah, Jacob, Rebecca and Caleb. One of my inquisitive friends once asked Mom, "How do you divide your love evenly between so many kids?" Mom said, "I don't. I multiply it among them." And it was true. Not only did her love multiply among us, but we had two sets of siblings whose parents were in drug rehabilitation programs live with us for extended times as well.

As an elementary student, I always said that I liked school. But what I really meant was that I liked learning. I am not so sure that I liked school. School meant two hours on the bus, it meant life away from my family and farm, it meant wasted time and it meant listening to teachers yell. I eventually told the bus driver to drop me off, not at my driveway, but by The Old Red Milk Barn. I would slowly walk up Bentley Lane, past The Yellow Barn and the pasture of cows, wishing that I could stay outside.

At the end of fifth grade I told my parents that I wanted to be home schooled. I helped Mom and Dad plan my curriculum. I wasted very little time and consequently could spend the afternoon helping Henry and my siblings build a new shed for the horses or refinish the carriage buggy or fix the fence line or stack hay wagons. This wasn't school, but it sure was learning.

Henry was a natural teacher. A thoughtful, quiet man, at peace with himself and his land, he never appeared to be in a rush. He had time: time to make me the most important person in that moment, time to make the present hour the sole object of his focus, time to listen to each and every question I had and answer it with the utmost diligence and care, as if he were questioned by the king himself.

Henry was also a natural scientist. A botanist and ornithologist by experience, he had a keen and observant eye. One particular summer his delight was very great when he found an endangered Lady Slipper tucked in by leaves, hidden in the woods.

During these years, I did not plan to go to college and study science. Nor was I certain that I would ever teach science. I thought that good science was not studied or taught, it was experienced and lived.

However, when I arrived at the local community college, I was drawn to chemistry. In and outside of chemistry class, Dr. Cavalieri and Dr. Touchette faithfully listened to my inquiries and with each passing question I thought more seriously about teaching science.

Soon after I graduated from George Fox University (Newberg, Oregon), my roommates and I flew back to the east coast and spent a morning in the jurors' box, watching my father argue cases for his clients. I was in shock. For all of my life I had known so much comfort, human affection and love. Among many who came before the judge that day was a small black child - fourteen-years-old - charged with stabbing another child with a knife. He was handcuffed; despondent. No life emanated from his eyes. His family did not sit in the small city court room. Only my father stood by his side, at his defense, requesting that he be placed in a rehabilitation center instead of facing the alternative incarceration. I was wrenched that day by this lifeless boy. Did someone ever make time for him and his questions and wonders? Was he ever taught to love a quiet Lady Slipper in the woods? The realization was certain that day - I wanted to teach that boy, and other boys and girls like him, what Henry had so patiently taught me.

Glen Botha

I was born in Cape Town, South Africa and lived in the country until I was 12 years old. Ever since I was young I was interested in building and making my own things. We didn't have all the electronic toys that kids have today, so I relied on a book my mom gave me called the Make and Do book. With that one book I created many years of projects, many of them science-related. I also became very interested in astronomy after seeing the rings of Saturn and the moons of Jupiter through my best friend's telescope at the age of nine. To this day I love nothing more than taking my telescope out on a clear night and marveling at the universe which is so close yet so very far away.

In 1987 my family moved to New Jersey and I finished up middle and high school there. It was in high school that I first became interested in chemistry and physics. While I loved to read and learn about special relativity and astrophysics, the world of chemistry became more of what I wanted to study. We had some great science teachers in my high school and I was quite active in tutoring people and helping my friends understand many of the concepts of chemistry. The thought of teaching had crossed my mind back then, as "teacher" came up as the top selection on a personality/aptitude test that I took senior year. However at that time I saw myself more as a scientist and felt the rewards would be greater at that point in my life.

I attended Penn State University where I completed a double major in chemistry and chemical engineering. I only took an engineering class to satisfy my father, who incessantly insisted that I needed to be an engineer. In order to prove him wrong I took the first class and ended up liking it so much that I completed the major as well. While at Penn State I spent six months studying Spanish in Salamanca, Spain, while also attending some chemistry classes in Spanish for "fun." It was a nice break from my hectic science and engineering schedule and I was able to travel around much of southern Europe. During college I became a general chemistry tutor for four years and also taught some sections of an organic chemistry laboratory course - both of which I thoroughly enjoyed.

After graduation from college, I was very interested in doing some traveling and working internationally. I took four months off and traveled to California, Hawaii, Australia, Southern Africa and Europe. I then turned down a job with a pharmaceutical company near my home town in New Jersey and instead took a job with an international engineering firm. I was soon stationed in Nigeria and worked there for three years. I had an amazing time. I met some incredible people, while working the most hours I had ever done in my life. I also had the opportunity to travel throughout Africa. I then worked in Turkmenistan, a former Soviet Republic bordering the Caspian Sea, where I learned some Russian and met some great people as well. After working there for six months, I decided that I wanted to move back to the United States and settle down more permanently, as I had spent the previous five years traveling the world without a real home.

I moved to San Francisco, which had always been my dream, and started thinking about what I wanted to do with my life. The idea of teaching came to mind again, and I looked up the requirements for teaching in California. I decided to take a year off, and spent this time volunteering in the San Francisco public middle and high schools, while looking at teaching credential programs. I found that I loved working with the students and was later accepted in the UC Berkeley Masters and Credential Program for Science.

I love learning new languages and traveling to new places around the world. In my free time in San Francisco I love to be outside, whether it is with my telescope at night or running or playing tennis in the day. I even am able to endure the winds at the beach a couple times during the summer and I always enjoy the chance to show others the wonders of the night sky with my telescope. On a clear evening one is likely to catch me at Alamo Square Park or Twin Peaks with my trusty telescope by my side.

Irene Frank

I grew up in Izmir, Turkey, where my missionary parents worked in an English-speaking school for Turkish students called the American Collegiate Institute (ACI). Until I was thirteen we lived on campus. While my Dad taught math and my Mom worked in the school library, I tore around the campus with other teachers' kids, building forts and hiding from the students. Ironically, I became an ACI student, attending the school from 7th to 12th grade. As part of the Turkish educational system, ACI separated its students into tracks in 10th grade and I elected to be in the science and mathematics track. Since this track was academically rigorous, consisting of two years each of chemistry, biology, physics and upper level math courses in addition to the language, social studies and electives we were also required to take, I reasoned that it would impress admissions counselors when it came time to apply for colleges in the US. However, as counselors and friends heard that I, a girl who was a good student but not specifically oriented towards science, wanted to become part of the science-math track, I found my decision questioned. I was asked, "Do you really think you can do this?" "The science track is for the really smart people who really like science, are you sure you don't want something easier?" Though I know my friends and school counselors meant well, their questions brought out my dormant stubborn streak. I found myself determined to be in the science-math track, and determined to excel in it.

My determination paid off. I graduated at the top of my class and of my track. The next fall, I began my career at Scripps College. Despite my success in the science track, I knew I wanted to explore as much of what Scripps, a liberal arts college, had to offer. I took courses in myriad subjects, including a general chemistry course. As I did well in this course, I was offered a job as a teacher's assistant in the general chemistry laboratory the next year. I took the job and it changed my life. This was what I loved doing, and this was what I had a talent for: teaching science. I continued as a teacher's assistant for the rest of my time at Scripps. I found that my experiences in other subject areas actually helped me teach science. This discovery led me to spend a summer teaching English to Turkish students. Although this was an extremely difficult task, it taught me a lot about myself and about teaching. I returned to college determined to become a better teacher and to stick to the subject I knew best: chemistry. After graduating from college I went onto Claremont Graduate University to pursue a credential and a master's degree in education. I finished the program in 2006 and am now teaching my second year of physics and chemistry at a high school in southern California.

Jeanine Gasper

I was born in Wheaton, Illinois, just outside my favorite city of Chicago, but only two years later my family moved to Lake Worth, Florida. So I pretty much grew up in south Florida, save for the three amazing years my family spent in Sapporo, Japan, where my parents taught when I was in elementary school. Japan was my first taste of world travel and since then I have become somewhat addicted! Upon finishing high school in Delray Beach, Florida, and graduating with the International Baccalaureate Diploma, I attended Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Yes, the weather change was somewhat frightening!

Calvin is a Christian Reformed liberal arts college and I majored in civil engineering. I also worked with kids at my church. This snowballed into a passion for youth and youth ministry. Since my freshman year at Calvin I have been involved with both high school and middle school youth groups, whether at my church in Grand Rapids, the international youth group in Guatemala City, or with my church in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Teenagers have a fresh perspective on the world that all of us need to see sometimes!

I loved my four years at Calvin despite the cold, and graduated from there in 2001. I took a job as a field engineer with URS Corporation in Grand Rapids. While at Calvin I had explored the idea of engineering mission work, and a year and a half after graduating I moved to Guatemala City to do just that. I worked as a construction manager on the building of a Christian vocational school in the city. It was a fantastic experience, one that I hope to weave into my teaching. I returned to my job in Grand Rapids as an inspector the following summer and again worked in Guatemala for a second winter in 2004. Before leaving for Guatemala I had decided that I wanted to become a teacher. While in Guatemala I was accepted to Wake Forest University on a teaching fellowship and graduated in 2005 with my masters in science education and a certification in physics.

Since graduating I have been working at Catholic Central High School in Grand Rapids, MI. It has been an excellent experience. Besides teaching both honors and regular physics along with one math class, I coach the girl's cross-country team. I am hoping to get a pre-engineering program started at CCHS with the help of my professors from Calvin College and the amazing ideas my KSTF fellows always have to offer!

My parents are both teachers and have supported me in all of my endeavors. I am forever grateful to them! I love that I get to use all of my life experiences (so far) in the classroom everyday; it truly is the perfect job for me!

Mary Lee McJimsey

Growing up in Spokane, Washington, I dedicated my childhood to school, ballet, swimming and my love of playing the clarinet. At the age of sixteen, I applied for and was awarded the Congress-Bundestag Scholarship and left my home to spend my junior year studying in a German high school. While living with a wonderful family just outside of Hamburg, I learned German, met many people and realized that even in a foreign language I understood science especially well. I came back for my senior year at Ferris High School in Spokane and kept a busy schedule with music, including teaching private students. This is where my passion for teaching came alive. Teaching became the best part of each week and by the end of the year, I didn't know how I was going to live without it.

I applied to college and chose physics as my intended major even though I really wanted to major in music as well. I didn't know at the time how teaching would fall into these pursuits and for the time being it was left behind. For college, I moved to beautiful San Luis Obispo, California, and started my studies as a physics major. To continue my music career on the side, I joined the band, orchestra and the clarinet ensemble. Through the first two years of college I realized that, though I love music, it brings more pleasure as a pastime. I have remained in the clarinet ensemble but have chosen to pursue my passion: physics. I conducted research at Cal Poly for over three years in different branches of physics. In 2006, I returned to Spokane, Washington to begin my teaching career.

I have had many experiences in research, including fieldwork in Australia, doing research at the Cal Poly pier (yes, physics at the beach) and doing lab work. Though I have enjoyed these experiences, I have found that I like to teach people about physics and the research being done. This is what led me to investigate the credential program; the more I learned, the more I knew I should be a physics teacher. Winter quarter 2005 I was a teacher's assistant in a beginning level physics class. This experience confirmed my decision to become a teacher. I am excited about my future and being part of the Knowles Science Teaching Foundation.

My limited free time is spent with my husband. We like to ride our bikes together, watch movies, read books. We are very involved in the Newman Center at Cal Poly and every once in a while I get time to practice my clarinet.

Melanie McWilliams

For as long as I can remember, I have had a passion for education. I owe much of who I am today to the exceptional education I received throughout my life. As a graduate of J.P. McCaskey High School in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, I have always been a strong supporter of public school systems. I often say that the reason I chose to study chemistry as an undergraduate student was because of the positive influence of my own high school chemistry teacher.

As an undergraduate chemistry major at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, I was heavily involved in chemistry education. When I was a sophomore and junior, I worked with the Chemistry Higher Education Workgroup developing interactive software for general and organic chemistry textbooks. I was also involved with the STEMTEC program, which worked to improve science education at the high school level.

I moved to San Diego, California in the fall of 2001 in order to begin the chemistry PhD program as the University of California, San Diego. Although I found the research aspect of the program fascinating, I found the teaching aspect of the program more inspiring and rewarding. Unfortunately, it took over two unhappy years in the PhD program for me to realize that it was teaching, not research, that made me truly happy. Today, I still believe that joining the Teacher Education Program at UC San Diego is one of the best choices I have made in my entire life.

I recently graduated from UC San Diego after 5 years of graduate school upon completing a MS in physical chemistry and a MEd and teaching credential in secondary education. During my time in the Teacher Education Program I was placed as an intern teacher at Chula Vista High School in Chula Vista, California, which is about 7 miles away from the U.S.-Mexican border. As an intern teacher I taught 2 classes of planetary science and 1 class of chemistry while finishing my degree. I absolutely fell in love with the school, the students and the enormous amount of school spirit. I was fortunate enough to be hired back at Chula Vista High School and now teach planetary science and chemistry full-time.

As a teacher, I am continuing to work on my ability to connect with students in order to help them become outstanding problem-solvers as well as scientists. I feel that education should be something that your students look forward to every day. Therefore, I am working to teach lessons that allow students to understand the beauty of science and the collaborative nature of the discipline as well. I have always loved teaching, am inspired by science and have a strong commitment to diverse public schools. I know that I still have a lot to learn and to experience, but I am hoping that during my journey as an educator I can help at least a small part of the world fall in love with science.

Heather Murillo

I was born in southern California, where I lived until I was nine years old before moving to Sacramento. I lived in Sacramento for just one year before returning to southern California, when my family moved to Redlands. I attended Redlands East Valley High School where I became involved in swimming, water polo and band. Over the summers I taught swim lessons and tutored children from varying age groups. During one particular summer, while teaching swim lessons, I realized the rewards of teaching and became very passionate about it. From that experience, I decided a career in teaching would be the most fulfilling for me. While in high school, I also developed a strong interest in chemistry. I had an exceptional high school chemistry teacher who helped elucidate my ability and love for the sciences. Upon realizing these two passions, I concluded that I wanted to become a chemistry teacher.

After high school, I enrolled at the University of Redlands to pursue my bachelor's degree in chemistry. I conducted research after my second year of undergraduate work. Alongside my advisor, I explored the organic synthesis of the natural product, jasmine ketolactone. Although research was an invaluable experience and I learned a great deal, I realized I did not particularly enjoy lab work nor did I want to become a college professor. Consequently, I began taking courses to obtain my California teacher's credential the following year.

I earned my BS in chemistry and my teacher's credential in spring 2006. I got married that same month. I now teach full-time in California. In my spare time I enjoy crocheting, sewing, reading (especially Harry Potter books), snowboarding, shopping and observing nature. In addition to these hobbies, I love to learn new languages and cultures.

Janeen Oberlander

I grew up in Cold Spring Harbor, New York, and for some reason I do not have a Long Island accent. Go figure. But then again, I've always been a little out of the ordinary. In high school, I never missed first and second period AP chemistry class, nor would I miss a chamber orchestra performance or a homecoming game. For the most part, I was dedicated to whatever interested me, and gave it my best effort. This still holds true today.

I completed my Bachelors of Science in Chemistry, with a specialization in biochemistry, at the University of Virginia in May 2004. During my time in Charlottesville, I performed two years of science research, and was awarded a Research Experience for Undergraduates program (REU) opportunity by the National Science Foundation. Performing research has been an enriching experience, developing independent thinking as well as cooperation with my colleagues. I also enjoyed holding an active role in the Delta Zeta sorority at UVA.

One of the most rewarding programs has been working for three summers at the Drexel Avenue Summer School for Students with Special Needs. It is a federally funded program for students with mental and physical difficulties, and the qualifying 1st grade through 9th grade students attend the school for six weeks. The summers I have spent working in this program have taught me a lot about the profession of education, and have greatly influenced my desire to become a teacher.

I obtained my Master's of Arts in Teaching Science - Chemistry at Stony Brook University in 2006. I am also certified in biology. During my time at Stony Brook, I worked at the Biotechnology Teaching Laboratories offered by the Long Island Group Advancing Science Education (LIGASE) at Stony Brook University, where high school classes from all over Long Island come to the university to perform laboratories with a hands-on, inquiry-based design.

I believe a good science teacher is essential in awakening curiosity and enthusiasm concerning the natural world. Teachers of science know more than just science content and common teaching methods; they have a special ability to integrate content knowledge, critical thinking skills such as the scientific method, cooperation as well as independence, and current technology. The intellectual challenge of teaching, the act of inspiring passion in science, and the contribution to the community are among the many reasons I aspire to be a teacher of science.

I currently live and teach in Huntington, New York, and my other interests and activities include painting, playing the violin, babysitting, jewelry making, and listening to music on my commutes to class and work.

Amy Perlman

I grew up in Falls Church, Virginia where I attended excellent public schools. I have incredibly supportive parents who have always encouraged me to pursue my interests. My high school physics teacher also had a strong impact on me because he was so excited about what he was teaching and was also very involved in extracurricular activities. His classroom felt like home to many of his students. In large part because of this teacher, I went off to Haverford College to major in physics and minor in mathematics and astronomy.

At Haverford I had the opportunity to do research in nanoscale physics, write a thesis and present my research at the March meeting of the American Physical Society. I also worked at the Naval Research Labs for two summers, machining parts for plasma physics experiments. As a result, I love the lab, power tools and following projects through to the end.

As the only female physics major in my graduating class, I often felt like "one of the guys," but I realize that not every female would enjoy that position. Teaching high school is my chance to show my female students that it is ok to participate in a male-dominated field. The more women who become interested in physics, the fewer departments there will be with just one female physics major.

Although my research experience at Haverford was priceless and exciting, after graduation I enrolled in a master's program in secondary science education at The George Washington University. I am currently on track to receive my degree in 2007. I am also in my second year of teaching in Fairfax County, Virginia. My first year was at Annandale High School, and I am now at Marshall High School. My experiences so far have been exciting and rewarding. This year I am teaching IB Physics and Active Physics, which is an exciting mix of content and levels. I am enjoying learning to teach physics to students of all backgrounds. Regardless of the level of their physics studies, I want all of my students to feel empowered by their knowledge of the physical world around them.

My other interests include volunteering for Habitat for Humanity and renovating my own condo, yet another manifestation of my love of power tools. In general, I enjoy anything that keeps me laughing. I am doing my best to put these passions to use as a teacher. In the future I look forward to expanding my role as a teacher and sponsoring extracurricular activities such as community service groups or yearbook so that my students will one day feel at home in my classroom as I did in my physics teacher's classroom.

Charles Sabatier

I am currently a physics teacher at Mount Vernon High School in Alexandria, Virginia. I grew up in Oxford, Mississippi, and graduated from the University of Mississippi with a bachelor's degree in physics in 2001. I studied physics because it challenged me to think, something I challenge my students with everyday!

I firmly believe that students learn science by doing science. I also believe that whoever does the talking does the learning. For these two reasons, I use the Modeling curriculum developed by Arizona State University. This approach allows students to inquire about physics concepts and discuss experimental results with peers. They challenge each other to support their findings with evidence.

I also enjoy being actively involved in my school. I am the co-sponsor of the Engineering and Robotics Club and the Class of 2009. I also coach the JV boys soccer team in the spring. Getting involved in other aspects of school allows me to form personal relationships with my students.

I am also working on my Masters degree in Science Education at George Mason University and expect to graduate in May of 2007.

Howard Shen

I was five when my mother told me I would be a doctor.

Obviously, the fact that you're reading this indicates that my mother's plan kind of fell apart. Halfway through college, I decided that medicine was not where I really wanted to go. I was already a chemistry major, and it seemed like a shame to let all that organic chemistry go to waste, so I stuck to it. Then I found out about the Stanford Teacher Education Program, and I knew exactly where I was going to go after college.

I've always enjoyed teaching: helping other people, making that connection that a teacher has with a student, and watching the facts click together in that moment of inspiration. I applied, I was accepted, and now I'm here.

I was born in Cleveland, Ohio, and map-hopped from Cleveland to Bridgeport, West Virginia, to Taipei, Taiwan, to Cupertino, California, and then back to Bridgeport for high school. I came back out to California for college at Stanford University. Somewhere in that mess, I grew up to become an average height Asian-American, the youngest of three sons of Taiwanese immigrants, and a firm believer in the therapeutic value of a high speed polka. I also enjoy reading (fantasy and science fiction), video games, musicals (both watching and working), and shopping.

During my year at STEP, I had an amazing experience student teaching with Charlotte Lum at Summit Preparatory High School in Redwood City, California. The environment of the school was very supportive, and I truly enjoyed the year.

In fact, I enjoyed it so much that I applied for a teaching job there, and I am proud to say that I am currently a first year teacher at Summit Preparatory Charter High School (yes, the name changed thanks to a legal fluke), teaching 100 sophomores about the joys of particles and chemistry.

Rachel Verbois

It seems I've always wanted to be a teacher. I grew up in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and graduated from Baton Rouge Magnet High School in 2000, near the top of my class and one of seven National Merit Finalists. I generally enjoyed all fields of study, but one teacher in high school had a particularly strong impact on my decision to pursue science, and eventually science education. My high school physics teacher, Mrs. Katie Parker, set up labs that seemed to violate natural law and our own intuition, challenging us to apply what we were learning to understand the experiments. She also related the laws of physics to the sports we played and got us so interested that we began explaining parabolic motion to bystanders at football and soccer games. When I started college at Louisiana State University in the Honors College, I didn't know what degree field I wanted to pursue and was undecided for my first year and a half. My grandfather and father were both chemical engineers, and although they encouraged me to be open to any field of study, it seems our family has an affinity for chemistry-related majors, and beginning my sophomore year it became clear to me that I wanted to major in chemistry. Organic chemistry drew me in - it was among my favorite classes in college. I found it fascinating to try and predict chemical reactions, like solving a puzzle.

At the beginning of my third year at LSU, I began working as a teaching assistant for the freshman general chemistry laboratory. My first day as a TA was absolutely terrifying, but I gradually got into the rhythm of teaching and found that it was my favorite part of the day. During my time as a TA, I was given the Superiority in Performance and Productivity in Teaching Chemistry 1212 Award for the top teaching assistant in the department. I was nominated as a Tri-Delta Favorite Professor as an undergraduate. I also won the Marathon-Ashland Chemistry Scholarship as the outstanding junior in chemistry.

As a result of my very positive experiences as a teaching assistant, and considering how much I was impacted by my high school physics class, I decided to pursue a career in teaching, with a focus on science education. I looked at several universities before deciding that the University of Virginia was where I wanted to be. I enrolled in fall 2004 in their Master of Teaching program where I learned so much more than I ever expected. Currently, I am a first-year chemistry teacher in Albemarle County, Virginia at Western Albemarle High School.

I'm very honored and excited to have received a Knowles Fellowship. The Fellowship will allow me to pursue my dream of teaching young people to love and appreciate the sciences. Every day of teaching is a different challenge; I am very grateful for the professional development opportunities provided by KSTF that have helped me better manage my classroom and incorporate a more authentic, inquiry-based curricula. I look forward to playing an influential role among young people as they consider future fields of study and career, just as my high school physics teacher did for me.