It is time to vote for officers for the Teacher Education Division of NAGT. The ballot includes President, Past President, Vice President, Secretary/Treasurer, and Media Director. The voting begins on May 30 and ends on July 1, 2017.
Officer Candidate Elections
President
Suzanne T. Metlay, Ph.D., is full-time faculty at Western Governors University, Teachers College, preparing pre-service and of-record teachers to become middle school and high school Earth science educators with subject matter expertise in geology, oceanography, meteorology, and astronomy. Suzanne leads the Geosciences Education program, teaches graduate students as well as undergraduates, and assists students getting ready for their
Praxis and state content exams nationwide. Prior to joining WGU, Suzanne was full-time astronomy faculty at Front Range Community College, Colorado; Operations Director at Secure World Foundation (private non-profit for space sustainability); Education Programs Manager at Fiske Planetarium, University of Colorado at Boulder; and a member of the Antarctic Search for Meteorites (ANSMET). Current passions include annual talks at local astronomy clubs, active engagement in professional organizations (NAGT, GSA, NSTA), and anything
Orphan Black or
Doctor Who.
Education: B.A., History & Science (Geology & Soviet Studies), Harvard University; Ph.D, Geology & Planetary Science, University of Pittsburgh (PA).
Professional Experience: Western Governors University, Teachers College (2012-present; 2016 Team Achievement Award; 2015 WGU Mentoring Contributions Awardfor peer collaboration and support); Front Range Community College (CO; 2010-2012); Secure World Foundation (CO; 2008-2011); University of Colorado at Boulder, Fiske Planetarium (2004-2008); plus more.
Professional Service:Peer reviewer, Journal of Competency Based Education (2015-present); Founded and administered Earth Education Resources for Two-Year College Faculty (EarthEd2YC; with Rusty Low, NASA Earth Forum Lead; 2014-2015); NAGT Geosciences for Two-Year Colleges (Geo2YC) executive board (archivist; 2012-2014); plus more.
Past President
Jeff Thomas is an associate professor of science education and earth science at Central Connecticut State University in New Britain CT. He teaches secondary science methods, earth science and physical science for elementary majors, meteorology, and various graduate courses for in-service science teachers. Previously, Jeff was a secondary earth science teacher for twelve years and he was also a broadcast meteorologist for four years. His research interests are related to reading and writing in science, curriculum development, geoscience education.
Education: BS Meteorology (minor in Geology), California University of Pennsylvania; Ed.D, Science Education, Teachers College, Columbia University. Professional Experience: Assistant Professor at Central Connecticut State University (CCSU) from 2008 to 2014, Associate Professor at CCSU from 2014 to present. Professional Activity: Jeff has been awarded over $1.5 million dollars of external grant funds, either as the principal investigator (PI) or the co-principal investigator (Co-PI). This includes federally-funded Teacher Quality Partnership Grants and Math and Science Partnership Grants. Jeff has also been awarded over $50,000 of internal grant funds. Jeff has 35 conference proceedings and eight peer-reviewed publications. Professional Service: Jeff has been actively involved in the National Association of Geoscience Teachers (NAGT), the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA), the Association for Science Teacher Education (ASTE). Jeff has been on the Association for Science Teacher Education (ASTE) Awards Committee, reviewer for the Journal of Geoscience Education, and vice president and president of the NAGT—Teacher Educator Division.
Vice President
Eric Pyle is a professor of geology at James Madison University, specializing in geoscience education and teacher preparation. He has published on science teacher preparation and professional development as well as instructional materials development and evaluation. He has served in the leadership of five NSF-funded projects, including grants for GK-12 Teaching Fellows, GeoEd, and the Robert C. Noyce program. He was a member of the Earth & Space Science (ESS) Design Team for
A Framework for K-12 Science Education and was a primary reviewer for all drafts of the
Next Generation Science Standards. He was also an author of the National Research Council's
Preparing the Next Generation of Earth Scientists: An Examination of Federal Education and Training Programs. At JMU, he has served as the coordinator of science teacher preparation in the College of Science & Mathematics as well as a Co-Director of the Center for STEM Education and Outreach. He teaches coursework in Earth materials, contemporary Earth issues, and planetary geology, as well as joint courses in secondary teaching methods. He was a member of the Board of Directors for the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA), heading the Preservice Teacher Preparation Division from 2014-2017. He is also a past president of the Eastern Section of the National Association of Geoscience Teachers, the West Virginia Science Teachers Association (WVSTA) and the Virginia Association of Science Teachers (VAST). He has received awards for Outstanding Teaching (West Virginia University), Gustav Ohaus Award for Innovations in Science Teaching, Outstanding Service (JMU College of Science & Mathematics), the JMU Provost's Award for Assessment, and the VAST Recognition in Science Education-College Level. He received a BS cum Laude in Earth science from UNC-Charlotte (1983), an MS in Geology from Emory University (1986), and a PhD in Science Education from the University of Georgia (1995).
Secretary/Treasurer
Peggy McNeal is a Ph.D. candidate in Geoscience Education at the Mallinson Institute for Science Education at Western Michigan University. She is actively engaged in the education of K-12 teachers as an instructor of introductory atmospheric science courses and evaluator and mentor in teacher preparation programs. She taught middle school science for fourteen years and as a PolarTREC teacher joined research on high Arctic change in Svalbard, Norway. Her research focuses on teacher motivations to teach climate change and cognitive processes used in meteorology.
Education: BS Oceanography, United States Naval Academy; MS Geosciences, Mississippi State University.
Professional Experience: Teacher, Cajon Valley Union School District, El Cajon, CA (2000-2014); Instructor, Mallinson Institute for Science Education, Western Michigan University; Kalamazoo, MI (2014-present); Evaluator and university liaison for intern teachers, Teaching, Learning and Education Studies (TLES), Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI
(2015-present).
Service: Reviewer, Science Scope, NSTA's peer-reviewed journal for middle level and junior high school science teachers. Published in Science Scope, MSTA Journal, and International Journal of Science Education.
Media Director
Steve Mattox is a Professor of Geology at Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Michigan. He contributes to a range of teacher preparation programs including non-science K-8, Integrated Science, Earth Science, and a secondary education Integrated Science endorsement. He has mentored 25 undergraduate science education students to present their work at state and national meetings and collaborated with 15 students on peer-reviewed publications. He continues to extend a state-wide network of high schools offering geology courses for credit at eleven Michigan colleges and universities.
Education: BS Geology Indiana University – Purdue University at Indianapolis; MS and PhD Northern Illinois University.
Professional Experience: interpretive ranger National Park Service, HAVO; contract mapping geologist Utah Geological Survey, gold exploration in West Australia, mapping base metals Java Indonesia.
Administrative Experience: Department Chair, Geology, GVSU; PI or co-PI of three NSF grants in education.
Teaching Experience: general education courses at NIU, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and University of Hawaii at Hilo; geology, integrated science, graduate courses for inservice teachers, and general education at GVSU.
Service has included: GSA Education Committee, editor of GVSU's Regional Math & Science newsletter, member of AGU, GSA, and NAGT.
