STEM educationTeachers honored for inspiring tomorrow’s generation of engineers

The future of the engineering profession received a boost when the National Engineers Week Foundation announced the three winners of the 2013 DiscoverE Educator Awards on 3 June. Now in its second year, the program recognizes educators teaching grades 6 through 12 for their effective methods to interest kids in engineering through math and science. The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) is a sponsor of the award.

An ASCE release reports that the 2013 honorees include Steve Meyer, from Brillion High School in Brillion, Wisconsin; Nicole Penn, from Kiser Middle School in Greensboro, North Carolina; and Anthony Williams, from Omaha North High Magnet School in Omaha, Nebraska. In addition, eight other top educators from across the country were honored as runners-up.. The eleven educators were selected by a panel of distinguished national education, engineering, and business leaders.

“What makes the DiscoverE Educator Awards unique and what we like celebrating about this program, is that we ask engineers themselves to nominate teachers that they feel are inspiring the next generation of innovators,” explained Thea Sahr, director of Programs for the National Engineers Week Foundation. “As a profession, engineers volunteer to go into the classroom and do outreach projects with the students so they actually know what is happening inside of the schools and what the teachers are doing.

“This award allows us to acknowledge the really amazing work that some of these teachers are doing out there with the support of the engineering community.”

Each of the three winners received a $2,000 cash prize, a 3M digital projector, a 3M gift pack of classroom supplies, and a trip to Washington, D.C., where they were honored at a ceremony at the National Museum of the American Indian. The eight runners-up received $500, a 3M Shoot ‘n Share camera, and a 3M gift pack.

Three “Truly Amazing” Educators
“It was unexpected,” says Williams, who this fall will begin his sixth year teaching at Omaha North High Magnet School. “I did not think that I was going to win [the award] and I was pleasantly surprised when I got the email. It was a pretty cool experience coming out to Washington, D.C. to receive it.

“I am very humbled by the recognition, but glad because the award helps recognize individuals like myself who are trying to make an impact in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics), particularly at this level of [high school] education where you have