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Information for K-12 Teachers
Distinguished Secondary School Science Teacher Award

Do you know a middle or high school science teacher in Tennessee that deserves recognition?

Nominate them to the Tennessee Academy of Science Distinguished Secondary School Science Teacher Award!

The award recipient will receive $1000!

More information can be found at the bottom of our awards page!

TAS Visiting Scientist Program

Many TAS members are excited to work with K-12 teachers and students throughout the state. Some ways that TAS members may help K-12 teachers include answering questions or even visiting your classroom to talk about science!

How might you as a teacher use the TAS Visiting Scientist Program to support your students?

Here are just a few common examples…

Invite a scientist (TAS member) in for a career day talk.

Invite a TAS member scientist to come do a science experiment or activity with your class.

Maybe you as a teacher would like to spend time in the summer working alongside a TAS scientist in their laboratory?

Engage your class in a citizen science project organized by a TAS scientist - find them through the TAS webpage.

Find science fair judges through the TAS website

TAS members and scientists are typically university and college faculty members, but we also have members who are undergraduate or graduate STEM majors, post-doctoral fellows, clinicians, government employees, industry employees, etc.

TAS members and scientists are pleased to support teaching and learning in STEM fields and wish to serve teachers and students from public or private K-12 schools, informal science education settings, homeschool groups, club/organizational leaders, etc.

TAS members and scientists either explicitly or implicitly aim to accomplish one or more of the following:

Increase student interest in STEM fields

Diversify participation in STEM fields

Increase engagement in science by teachers, students, their families, and the general public

Increase science content knowledge of teachers, students, their families, and the general public

Increase positive attitudes towards science by teachers, students, their families, and the general public

Reduce fear and/or distrust of STEM concepts by demystifying science and scientists.

If you are looking for a point of contact from a particular field of study, consider contacting the TAS section chairs, listed below.

Section Contact Person E-Mail Address

Botany

Dr. Emily Powell
Tennessee Tech University

edpowell42@tntech.edu

Cell & Molecular Biology

 

Dr. Felicity Sterling
Belmont University

felicity.sterling@belmont.edu

Chemistry

 

Dr. Xuanzhi Shawn Zhan
Tennessee Tech University

xzhan@tntech.edu

Ecology & Environmental Science

Dr. Stanton Belford
The University of Tennessee Southern

sbelfor2@utsouthern.edu

Engineering & Engineering Technology

Dr. Khalid Tantawi
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

khalid-tantawi@utc.edu

Health & Medical Sciences

 

Vacant 

History of Science

Dr. Somaditya Banerjee
Austin Peay State University

banerjees@apsu.edu

Physics & Astronomy

Dr. Allyn Smith
Austin Peay State University

Dr. Gregory Vieira
Rhodes College

smithj@apsu.edu

vieirag@rhodes.edu

Science & Math Teaching

 

Dr. Philip C. Short
Austin Peay State University

shortp@apsu.edu

Zoology

 

Dr. Julie Baker Phillips
Cumberland University

jphillips@cumberland.edu

You may also contact these people for assistance.

Dr. Tony Johnston

Brian Caine

Dr. Gilbert Pitts