In this Issue

President's Message

NSELA Award Winners

National Plan for Addressing STEM Needs

Tech Support

PDI 2008 and beyond

Safe Science

Meet Your New Board Members

Regional News

Board Meeting Summary

2009: Celebrating with NSELA

1 Hour to Prepare a Lesson

Nominate a Colleague for an Award

Have you been getting NSELA emails? If not update your email address

Download a Membership Brochure: Page 1, Page 2

July 7 - 10, 2008
NSELA Summer Leadership Institute, Asheville, NC

March 18, 2009
NSELA Professional Development Institute, New Orleans

March 19-March 22, 2009, New Orleans
NSTA Convention

NSELA Leadership Team

President-Elect: Brenda Shumate Wojnowski

An award-winning teacher, Dr. Brenda Shumate Wojnowski has taught at the elementary, middle, and secondary levels as well as having served as a high school curriculum administrator. In her current capacity as Senior Program Officer for the T-STEM Initiative of the Texas High School Project, she is responsible for the oversight and development of STEM Academies and technical assistance support centers across the state of Texas. Prior to beginning work with the National Inventors Hall of Fame Foundation in Ohio where she was President of Inventive Education, Inc., Dr. Wojnowski was Associate Director of The Science House at NC State University. She has also served as Assistant Director of the Mathematics and Science Education Network, based at UNC Chapel Hill and as Director of science and mathematics outreach from the College of Education at UNC Greensboro. She holds a doctorate in curriculum and teaching, a Master of Arts in middle grades education, and an undergraduate degree in biology with a minor in secondary education. Dr. Wojnowski is on the editorial board of the National Science Education Leadership Association for the Educator Journal, is on the manuscript review panel for the National Science Teacher Association publication The Science Teacher and has served as Chair of the NSELA Informal Science Committee for the past several years. She has presented numerous workshops and invited talks as well as having served in a senior level capacity on many grants and contracts from NSF, US Department of Education and private foundations. Dr. Wojnowski has numerous publications to her credit.

Meet Eric Walters, Region B Director

I serve as the Director of Science and Technology where I teach AP Physics, Honors Physics and Atmospheric Science. I also serve on the school’s Implementation Committee; the committee oversees the implementation of the school’s mission and works collaboratively with the sister schools in an international network to advance the goals and criteria of the Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary. I have also been appointed to the Advisory Board for The Science Teacher as well as a reviewer for Science Education Review.

I have presented at numerous regional, national and international conferences, including those sponsored by the National Science Teachers Association and the National Association of Independent Schools. One highlight for me was the opportunity to travel to Perth, Australia, last summer to attend and present at the World Science and Technology Education Conference, which focused on the challenges of science and technology education for the 21st century.

I hold a B.S. in Meteorology from the University of Massachusetts at Lowell and an M.S. in Atmospheric Science from the State University of New York at Albany. I am an avid tennis player, reader and moviegoer. Furthermore, I am most proud of my Swiss heritage, as my family has been traced back to 12th century Switzerland!

Meet Susan Koba, Region E Director

Susan Koba currently serves as a science education consultant, after over 30 years as a teacher and leader in the Omaha Public Schools. She taught for 23 years, first as a middle school life science teacher and later as a high school biology teacher, receiving various recognitions for her teaching including the Presidential Award. She later served as a district mentor and then Project Director for the OPS Urban Systemic Initiative. Susan’s current consulting finds her primarily involved with NSTA’s Learning Center, where she coordinates development of the Professional Development Indexer and serves as a pedagogical implications expert in development of SciPacks. She has been active in the Nebraska Association of Teachers of Science and is a past- president of the organization. She is also an active member of the National Science Teachers Association, having served on the board as the Director of Coordination and Supervision, on the Budget and Finance Committee and on numerous task forces. She currently serves on the Nominations Committee. Susan has been a member of NSELA since 1995, and during her time as an NSTA board member, she served as liaison to NSELA. Susan received her master’s degree in biology from the University of Nebraska-Omaha and her Ph.D. in science education from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She has been happily married to her husband, Mike, for 34 years and is the proud mother of daughter Kirsten, 30, and son Jason, 25.