Meet the 2007 Mentors

Margaret Shain was a Frontiers in Physiology Summer Research Teacher in 2000 and conducted her research in Dr. Jeff Falcone's lab at the University of Louisville (Dr. Falcone is a Research Host again this year). During her fellowship, Margaret developed the " Exploring the Elasticity of Blood Vessels" lab activity. Margaret was a Mentor/Instructor for the 2002, 2003, and 2006 Research Teachers and one of the 2002 Curriculum Development Fellows.

Margaret states that her work with APS "is my most important professional development because it allows me to interact with other teachers who are equally active in trying to make their students' science experiences the most they can be." It's a good thing that Margaret feels that way because we ask her to participate in lots of APS activities. In 2005, Margaret facilitated two major workshops with the APS Education Office - one was a training workshop on the "It's a Matter of Taste" Project WISE unit for the Indianapolis Local Site Team and the other was an Explorations in Biomedicine Teacher Leadership Summit (note: the Summit website is a work-in-progress).

In addition to her work in the life sciences, Margaret has a special interest in promoting girls in math and science careers. She gets girls involved in various statewide events at Purdue and Indiana Universities as well as local competitions. In 2002, Margaret was one of 12 teachers recognized nationally as a Distinguished Teacher by the National Council of Catholic Educators and was recognized by Indiana University for "Outstanding Contributions to the Field of Education.” In 2003, she received a Lilly Creativity in Teaching Fellowship to conduct a research project on wildflowers and summer flowering plants of New England and the Atlantic Maritimes. Based on her research and her continuing interest in wildflowers, Margaret and her seventh grade students planned and planted two garden areas at her school. This is her fifth year she has hosted a weeklong summer science camp for middle school students that gives them a chance to do extensive inquiry science more than a typical class period can provide.

Tonya Smith is a 6th grade science teacher, department chair, and district instructional facilitator at Mayewood Middle School in Sumter, SC.

Tonya completed her undergraduate studies in Biology and Psychology at Columbia College in Columbia, SC. She earned a Master’s degree in Science from the University of South Carolina and a Master’s degree in Education from Columbia College. She is currently pursing a Ph.D. in science education from Walden University.

In her 20 years of teaching, Tonya has taught middle school science and high school biology, and is now a district instructional facilitator. In 2007, Tonya will be teaching as the department chair at Mayewood Middle School. When it comes to being a science teacher, Tonya "absolutely enjoys the challenge that each day brings." As district instructional facilitator, she will assist in training science teachers in research-based instructional strategies, with a focus on inquiry-based instruction and Marzano's effective teaching strategies.

Tonya says, "Participating in the Frontiers program was the most rewarding opportunity of my career." In 2004, she worked in the research lab of Dr. Britt Wilson at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine. For the curriculum development piece of her fellowship, Tonya decided to adapt a science lab that she already did with her students to be more inquiry-based and to better integrate equity strategies and the Internet. The result is "Please Pass the Microbes" which explores the fermentation process as students make Kim chi (a Korean cabbage dish). Tonya continued her professional development with the APS as a Mentor/Instructor for the 2006 Frontiers in Physiology Fellowship.

In addition, Tonya was named in 2002 as the Teacher of the Year at her school and received a Time Warner Cable Star Teacher Award. Tonya and her two sons (ages 14 and 12) reside in Columbia, SC.

Charles Geach is a K-12 Science Facilitator in the El Paso Independent School District. Charlie also coordinates a Virtual School Program for EPISD and helps teachers to utilize technology to impact their teaching. Charlie says, “Students today have grown up with technology and are naturally drawn to it. It is our job as educators to use this attraction as another tool to help students learn. "

Charlie has been an educator for over 31 years, and a science teacher for 23 of those years. “I know the importance of being a lifelong learner and trying to stay one step ahead of your students as well the need to keep current in your teaching field.” “APS has helped me to be able to keep my skills and knowledge up to date over the years, first as a Summer Research Teacher in the Frontiers in Physiology Program (1994) and then as a Curriculum Development Teacher who helped to Co-Author a WISE activity on the “Sense of Touch” (2001). Charlie has also been a Mentor/Instructor for the 1998, 2002 and 2006 Frontiers Fellowship programs. Charlie also attended the 2005 APS Teacher Leadership Summit in Washington, DC and was a trainer for the Louisville Local Site Team (LST) in January 2006.

In 1994 he was selected to be one of the first teachers to help start an online resource network for Biology Teachers (Access Excellence). Charlie has been training teachers the last 9 years in how to use technology as a tool to enhance their instruction and to help them keep up to date in their content area. He has developed online science learning activities, including activities with Project WISE.

In addition, Charlie was the 2004 recipient of The Alan Shepard Technology in Education Award from the Astronauts Memorial Foundation and NASA for developing a video conferencing lesson for science students in the El Paso Schools.