ATHENS — Taylor Whisenant, a STEM teacher at Athens Renaissance School, is one of three K-12 teachers to win a 2023 Trailblazing Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math Educator Award.
The 2023 Trailblazing STEM Educator award celebrates K-12 teachers who go above and beyond to inspire the next generation of explorers and innovators. It is sponsored by the Challenger Center and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.
The winners, which also include Caroline Little, a 6th–8th grade science teacher at Visitation School in Mendota Heights, Minn.; and Aymette Medina, high school teacher at Odyssey Academy Galveston in Galveston, Texas, were selected from 51 nominations.
The nominations demonstrate the efforts teachers make to empower underserved and underrepresented students in STEM while using unique strategies, tools, and lessons in and out of the classroom to further energize students.
Whisenant has a background in special education, particularly in autism spectrum disorders. She has been called a champion for equity and access to quality STEM education programs for all students.
A graduate of the University of Alabama in Huntsville, Whisenant is an UAH Alumni of Achievement Honoree and a FIRST Inspire the Future Educators Recognition Program Honoree. She is also a program delivery partner for FIRST Lego League.
Whisenant developed a robotics program with eight FIRST Robotics teams in the K-12 age groups during her first year at ARS. The program has now grown to 14 teams.
All three teachers and their respective schools will be awarded $5,000, and each teacher will receive free access to Challenger Center STEM programming, and can select from Challenger Center’s suite of hands-on, simulated learning experiences based on their classes’ needs.
Those choices include Center Missions, delivered at Challenger Learning Centers around the globe; Virtual Missions, delivered by Challenger Learning Center Flight Directors to students in and out of the classroom; and Classroom Adventures, digital experiences delivered by teachers in their classrooms and bring classroom lessons to life through exciting Earth and space-themed journeys.
They also win a trip to Washington, D.C. to be honored May 18 at the 2023 AIAA Awards Gala at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. The evening celebrates the most influential and inspiring individuals in aerospace.
Click here for tickets to the Gala.
The teachers will also receive an invitation to attend a space launch and will be celebrated in their local communities in the coming weeks.
“With educators like Caroline, Aymette, and Taylor, STEM experiences are not only introduced to students, but they are brought to life,” said Lance Bush, president and CEO of Challenger Center. “They go above and beyond to ensure that students of all backgrounds are given the opportunity to see the world of possibilities that STEM careers offer.”
The U.S. aerospace and defense industry leads the world in innovation, while still facing challenges of staffing a properly skilled and qualified workforce.
Some industry leaders believe gaps in diversity, equity, and inclusion require more STEM-literate graduates and greater participation by women and ethnic minorities. They say early retirements are also creating a growing knowledge gap.
“These three Trailblazing STEM Educator Award winners are awesome educators,” said Dan Dumbacher, executive director of the AIAA. “It is our honor to recognize them with this award.
“We believe teachers are invaluable to their communities, bringing their passion for learning to inspire their students. They are enabling a diverse and robust STEM-literate next generation. Together, they are shaping the future of aerospace.”
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