Teacher Travel Grant Program
Beginning with the Phoenix meeting, AMS has established a Teacher Travel Grant Program to help fund the expenses associated with attended the AMS Annual Meeting.
2019 Teacher Travel Grant Winners
Heidi Beatty
These experiences will allow me to bring ideas, activities, and information back to my own classroom and school that we wouldn’t have had otherwise.
I am very excited to represent Northeast Nodaway R-V School District at the AMS Conference 2019. Our school district serves the rural communities of Parnell & Ravenwood, Missouri in one building that houses preschool thru 12th grade. With around 220 students, we try to make learning come alive and provide experiences to grow our students into successful citizens. Attending the AMS Conference will provide me with the opportunity to share, learn and collaborate with experts in the field as well as other peer teachers. These experiences will allow me to bring ideas, activities, and information back to my own classroom and school that we wouldn’t have had otherwise.
Sarah Geborkoff
Our community is on the shoreline of Lake Superior, and it is important to me that I teach students in a way that helps them to fully understand the value of clean air and water as a resource that must be valued, conserved, and protected.
There are unique challenges associated with teaching science because it is not a static subject; advancements in knowledge and technology make for constant changes in what educators need expose students to in order to prepare them for real-world applications of science and future careers. At the same time, there is a disconnect between science educators and the scientific community that must be bridged in order for science education to remain current and relevant. I am extremely excited to attend the AMS Conference because what I will learn about through networking and engaging in sessions will help me to enhance my curriculum, form new relationships in the scientific community, and develop new instructional ideas for my earth science classroom. Meteorology, climate change, and air & water quality are all areas of both personal and professional interest, all being major topics covered in the 7th and 8th grade science courses that I teach at Houghton Middle School in the Keweenaw Penisula of rural Upper Michigan. In addition, our community is on the shoreline of Lake Superior and it is important to me that I teach students in a way that helps them to fully understand the value of clean air and water as a resource that must be valued, conserved, and protected. I will be writing about this experience for the Michigan Science Teachers Association 2019 spring journal and encouraging other science educators to attend future AMS conferences; good professional development opportunities for science teachers such as this are critical to the growth of educators and our education system and are a rare find and I intend to take full advantage of!
Cynthia Sorrensen
I feel there is a strong desire among students to understand climate change more and now is the time to bring it more fully into the curriculum.
I am in my third year of teaching Earth Science and Environmental Biology at Salpointe Catholic High School in Tucson, Arizona. I very excited to be attending the educational forum at the AMS 2019 annual conference. My background is in geography, which has a lot of overlap with the disciplines that are aligned with AMS, but as a new teacher I do not have many colleagues that focus on Earth system processes. In attending this conference I hope I can deepen my knowledge of atmospheric processes and how to teach them at the high school level, while also establish contacts with other educators and researchers involved with work on weather, climate, and water. I am particularly interested in contemporary work on climate change and extreme events, and how best to bring this into the high school classroom. I feel there is a strong desire among students to understand climate change more and now is the time to bring it more fully into the curriculum.
Laura Venger
I look forward to learning how I can better serve my community by gleaning new ways to teach and making meaningful contact with other AMS participants and the wider world.
A wide range of available resources, professional connections and camaraderie with my peers is why I look forward to the 99th Annual AMS meeting in Phoenix. I live and work in coastal Maine and help elementary students understand the natural world through the use of age appropriate science and math skills. Weather affects our island existence in unique ways namely the livelihood of fishermen who rely on the sea and support the local economy. Climate change impacts how we work and live. I look forward to learning how I can better serve my community by gleaning new ways to teach and making meaningful contact with other AMS participants and the wider world.
Catalina Vizueth
I'm planning to share, learn, and interact with the scientific community to my fullest potential so I can help my colleagues in my school district, students and the community in general.
By attending the 99th AMS Annual conference, I will be able to enhance my students' learning experiences in meteorology related topics by implementing learned facts through my regular lessons, lab activities, etc., I will be empower them with the tools needed to handle the difficult life challenges that they'll face in the future. Personally, I will sharpen my teaching skills and knowledge through my interaction with scientists, and other devoted people whose lives are focused not only on the learning of meteorology facts, but the finding of solutions for the many problems that Earth is facing, either due to human interaction or natural processes. I'm planning to share, learn, and interact with the scientific community to my fullest potential so I can help my colleagues in my school district, students and the community in general.
Tiffany Risch
Tiffany's work led her to be selected as the 2014 National AMS Distinguished Educator of the Year. She continues to teach passionately about atmospheric and ocean science, and encourages her high school students to seek out research-based, real world opportunities outside of the classroom.
Tiffany Risch has been a science teacher at Coventry High School in Coventry, RI for the last 13 years. During this time, she has taught physical science, biology, physics, and oceanography. Tiffany's teaching methodology focuses on hands on learning and real world based connections, which were developed through her own interactions with scientists and through research based professional development. She has explored ancient shipwrecks off the coast of Turkey, modeled ocean and atmospheric science through AMS programs at the U.S. Naval Academy and National Weather Service, and has participated in NOAA's Teacher at Sea program. Tiffany's work led her to be selected as the 2014 National AMS Distinguished Educator of the Year. She continues to teach passionately about atmospheric and ocean science, and encourages her high school students to seek out research-based, real world opportunities outside of the classroom.
Nancy Francis
I believe I have the best of two worlds— being able to do science and inspiring my students by sharing my enthusiasm. This opportunity is phenomenal and I look forward to attending!
I am currently an 8th grade Science teacher at Carrollton Middle School in Saginaw, MI. This is my 21st year teaching middle school Science. I consider myself a lifelong learner and am always excited to have opportunities to learn new things. I believe I have the best of two worlds- being able to do Science and inspiring my students by sharing my enthusiasm. This opportunity is phenomenal and I look forward to attending! Thank you!