The National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) and Vernier Software & Technology have chosen the winners of the 2016 Vernier/NSTA Technology Awards. The seven science teachers—one elementary, two middle school, three high school and one college level—were selected by a panel of NSTA-appointed experts for their creative uses of Vernier’s data-collection technology with a computer, LabQuest or mobile device.
The winners each will receive $1,000 in cash, $3,000 in Vernier products and up to $1,500 toward expenses to attend the NSTA National Conference in Nashville at the end of March.
The 2016 Vernier/NSTA Technology Award winners include:
- Sherie Ryan-Bailey, Oakley Elementary School, Asheville, NC
Using Vernier probes, a weather station, and resources from a local university, Sherie Ryan-Bailey’s fifth grade students learn weather patterns and how different factors influence weather conditions in their area. - Greer Harvell, Walton Middle School, Defuniak Springs, FL
Greer Harvell’s seventh graders will use Vernier’s probeware to act as “citizen scientists” and monitor the water quality of a lake located less than a block from their middle school. - Aaron Mueller, Scullen Middle School/Indian Prairie School District 204, Naperville, IL
Aaron Mueller, a middle school science teacher in suburban Chicago, believes all students should examine the implications of modern development on their communities. - Richard Erickson, Bayfield High School, Bayfield, WI
Richard Erickson and his students spend the school year investigating the seiches in Lake Superior, a standing wave oscillation created by atmospheric forces. - Dan Starr, Green Lake School, Green Lake, WI
Led by instructor Dan Starr, the students will use Vernier data-collection technology to study the Big Green Lake’s water resources and determine which management decisions are necessary to improve the watershed. - Ben Smith, Peninsula High School, Rolling Hills, CA
His project at Peninsula High School in Rolling Hills, CA encourages students to launch inquiry-based field and laboratory investigations that explore the relevance of these insects to fundamental ecological issues.
To learn more about the Vernier/NSTA Technology Awards winners and to find details for the 2017 application, visit http://www.vernier.com/grants/nsta/
