Some of the Nation's Most Accomplished STEM Teachers Selected as Albert Einstein Educator Fellows

Washington, D.C. — (BUSINESS WIRE) — Thirteen accomplished K-12 science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) teachers from across the United States have been named 2016-2017 Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellows. The fellows will spend 11 months serving in a federal agency or U.S. Congressional office in Washington, D.C., engaged in the national STEM education arena.

The Albert Einstein Distinguished Education Fellowship (AEF) Program provides a unique opportunity for accomplished K-12 STEM educators to apply their extensive classroom knowledge and experience to their host offices to inform federal STEM education efforts.

The 2016-17 Einstein Fellows are as follows:

  • Nathan Auck, Salt Lake City, Utah
  • Aida Awad, Des Plaines, Illinois
  • Channa Comer, Bronx, New York.
  • Alexandra Fuentes, Washington, D.C.
  • Juan Gonzalez, Laredo, Texas
  • Kayla Heimann, Mansfield, Ohio
  • Rebecca Himschoot, Sitka, Alaska
  • Douglas Hodum, Farmington, Maine
  • Jennifer Lane, Brick, New Jersey
  • Jennifer Mayo, Portland, Oregon
  • Wanda Padula, Pennellville, New York
  • Sharon Sikora, Honolulu, Hawaii
  • Adam Smith, Hood River, Oregon

The 2016-2017 Einstein Fellows come from K-12 schools across the country and represent diverse teaching backgrounds — with expertise in robotics, computer science, engineering, science and mathematics. Federal agencies and U.S. Congressional Offices will benefit from fellows’ real-world experience as educators. In return, Einstein Fellows will gain understanding of the role of the federal government in the U.S. education enterprise, knowledge of resources available to students and educators, and broader perspectives on national education issues that can be applied to the classroom or to leadership positions in their districts or elsewhere.

The AEF Program, now in its 26th year of operation, is managed by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science’s Office of Workforce Development for Teachers and Scientists in collaboration with the sponsoring agencies and the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education.

Featured

  • Ohio State University Opens 26-Story Hospital

    The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center recently opened in Columbus, Ohio, standing 26 stories and covering 1.9 million square feet, according to a university news release. The project marks ten years of effort and is the university’s largest single-facility construction project ever.

  • New City School

    Turning Crisis into Opportunity: Transforming New City School

    When New City School in St. Louis suffered catastrophic flood damage in July 2022, the event could have marked a serious setback for the 100-year-old institution. Instead, it became a forward-looking opportunity.

  • UT System Approves First Funds for New Campus

    The University of Texas System Board of Regents recently approved funds to build the first facility of a new campus in far west Fort Worth, Texas, according to university news. UTA West will serve as a branch of the University of Texas at Arlington and is scheduled to open in fall 2028.

  • University of Kentucky Receives $150M Gift Toward New Arts District

    The University of Kentucky’s Board of Trustees recently received a $150-million gift from The Bill Gatton Foundation, according to a university news release, to build a new arts district on the campus in Lexington, Ky. The new district will feature a new College of Fine Arts building and a multi-hundred-seat theater, among other amenities.