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Press Release
DCAT Announces 2011 Making a Difference Awardees
Robbinsville, NJ, March 24, 2011 – The Science Education Scholarship Committee of the Drug, Chemical and Associated Technologies Association (DCAT) is pleased to announce that Ophelia Barizo of Highland View Academy in Hagerstown, Maryland and Colleen Howard of Mesa Unified Schools in Mesa, Arizona are the 2011 recipients of the DCAT Making a Difference Award for their innovative science education programs for high school and middle school students. DCAT Vice President Lyra Myers of Genentech, Inc. presented the awards at the 2011 National Science Teachers Association National Conference in San Francisco on March 11. “It was a privilege to meet with and honor these outstanding educators who are committed to teaching the next generation to love and understand science,” said Myers. “We will all benefit from the future discoveries and contributions that their students will make.”
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(Left to right) Lyra Myers, Genentech,
Inc. and DCAT Vice President;
Deborah Trevino, Highland View
Academy principal; Ophelia Barizo,
DCAT Making a Difference Awardee;
and Alan McCormack, 2010-2011
NSTA President. |
Ophelia Barizo, a 9th grade science teacher, won for The Study of Mycorrhizal and Saprophytic Mushrooms and their Role in Forest Ecosystems, a program that gives students valuable outdoor hands-on experiences and an appreciation for the role mushrooms play in forest ecosystems. Students participated in guided forays to collect (for scientific study), photograph, and identify various fungi under the tutelage of experts in mycology from the Mycological Association of Washington, D.C. The students created a booklet that was distributed to students, parents, teachers, nature centers, and tourism centers. The project was featured in Pearson Education’s latest environmental science textbook.
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(Left to right) Lyra Myers, Genentech,
Inc. and DCAT Vice President;
Colleen Howard, DCAT Making a
Difference Awardee, and Dr. Sean
Enright, Mesa Unified Schools
principal. |
Colleen Howard, a 6th grade science teacher, won for her Space Integration Module, a simulated mission into space that provides students the opportunity to experience firsthand the importance of leadership, collaboration, communication, and problem solving as they work together toward a common goal. Using technology, robotics, and inquiry, students constantly analyze information and make inferences in an effort to propose solutions to the problems. The program has gone district-wide with over 4,000 students participating each year. As a result of the interest generated by the project, students have entered careers in the aerospace, aviation, technology, engineering and medical fields.
Through the Making a Difference Awards and other initiatives, DCAT strives to both recognize and support science education programs and their educators who, through their passion for the field of science, influence students to initiate or extend their interests in the exploration and investigation of science and its application to global problems.
About DCAT
DCAT is the premier business development association whose membership is comprised of companies that manufacture, distribute or provide services to the pharmaceutical, chemical, and related industries.
Contact:
Erin Sanders
DCAT Communications Coordinator
609-448-1000 |
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