Crean National Finalist :::
LTHS to receive science lab make-over,
Named finalist in national competition
Lyons Township High School was named a national finalist in the first-ever National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) Shell Science Lab Challenge. The competition encouraged teachers (grades 6-12) in the U.S. and Canada, who have found innovative ways to deliver quality lab experiences with limited school and laboratory resources, to share their approaches for a chance to win a school science lab makeover. LT science teacher Jason Crean submitted an application and was named a national finalist.
Crean has designed a curriculum that uses segments of actual research projects from the Conservation Science Department at the Chicago Zoological Society. Each activity was written to apply real data to a question and illustrate commonly used analysis techniques without the need for expensive equipment. This program introduces students to the scientists from around the world who engage in this conservation research via different forms of media. Crean incorporates actual data from science labs outside the school and uses it in his classes. He arranges for some students to volunteer in a conservation genetics lab and aid in the actual research.
As one of four national finalists, LTHS will receive a science lab makeover support package for their school valued at $8,500. The prize package includes a $3,000 Shell cash grant, $3,000 in donated lab equipment, $1,000 in NSTA prizes—to include an NSTA bookstore gift certificate and NSTA conference registrations, NSTA memberships and NSTA Learning Center subscriptions for two teachers—a nd $1,500 in sponsored trips to the NSTA National Conference on Science Education.
“These science teachers have implemented truly remarkable science programs, providing quality lab experiences for their students with very little resources,” said Dr. Francis Eberle, Executive Director, NSTA. “We commend the winners of the NSTA Shell Science Lab Challenge for their creativity, resourcefulness and commitment to their students.”
“Through the Shell Lab Challenge our aim is to support the inquiry-based instructional practices of our science teachers and excite students about the wonders and possibilities of science by doing. Exemplary science teaching is more effective when it occurs in a quality lab environment where science concepts can be explored by students,” said Dr. Frazier Wilson, Shell Oil Company Manager, Social Investment.
National Science Teachers Association (NSTA), www.nsta.org, is the largest professional organization in the world promoting excellence and innovation in science teaching and learning for all. NSTA's current membership includes more than 60,000 science teachers, science supervisors, administrators, scientists, business and industry representatives, and others involved in science education.