Arizona teachers fare well at national biotech conference
Summary:
Arizona teachers made an impressive showing at the National Biotechnology Teacher-Leader Awards, held in conjunction with the national Biotechnology Industry Organization's annual convention in Philadelphia in June. The award program, in its second year, honors high-school level instructors who have incorporated biotechnology into their classrooms in innovative and positive ways.
Full Story:
Arizona teachers made an impressive showing at the National Biotechnology Teacher-Leader Awards, held in conjunction with the national Biotechnology Industry Organization's annual convention in Philadelphia in June. The award program, in its second year, honors high-school level instructors who have incorporated biotechnology into their classrooms in innovative and positive ways.
The Biotechnology Institute Education Conference Teacher-Leader Program, which aims to grow its membership to 1,000 teachers nationwide, currently has 97 teachers enrolled, 12 of whom were from the Greater Phoenix area: 10 from Mesa Public Schools and two from the Chandler Unified School District.
Xan Simonson, a biology teacher at Mesa High School, won third place in the Teacher-Leader Awards; she was one of two teachers from Arizona named as finalists. The three winners, chosen by a panel of industry judges for leadership and biotech expertise, were given $10,000, $5,000, and $2,500 cash prizes, respectively. As model biotechnology teachers, they are expected to take active roles in the Institute's professional development activities throughout the year.
"I feel proud that Arizona had two finalists, considering its biotechnology industry is still in the beginning phase," Simonson said. "What that tells me is that there are teachers in our state that are visionaries and are proactive. And that's a good thing for the industry."
For more information:
Biotechnology Institute News Release, 06/20/2005