At the 2017 NSTA Regional Conference in Milwaukee, WSST members submitted their ideas for a chance to win a Front and Center Grant.  Reviewed by the WSST Foundation, the winning ideas are showcased below.  

Bob Wild

Deerfield High School

In his new Forensics Science course, Bob will be purchasing supplies including an Edvotek Restriction Enzyme and Analysis kit, and the Vernier lab book: Forensics with Vernier.

Leigh Kohlmann

Rock River Intermediate School, Waupun Area School DIstrict

Leigh will purchase dry erase boards to pilot Argument Driven Inquiry with two other WSST members.

Sarah Kendrick

Madison Country Day School

To conduct her Yahara Lakes Watershed Unit, Sarah will purchase large planning boards to use in class, get better research tools, as well as get maps to show the watershed.

Jessie Tasev (Doyle)

Whitnall High School

In a Forensic Science and Crime Scene Investigation course (taught with a civics and psychology teacher), Jessie will be purchasing supplies for a student driven final assessment.  Possible supplies for purchase could include fake blood and related analysis kit, fingerprint kits, DNA electrophoresis materials, or other materials upon request.

Tina Gleason

Golda Meir, Milwaukee

Tina will be starting a Circuitry Fashion unit so her students can see the connection between Technology and other fields of study or interest such as fashion. Items purchased will include sewing kits, fabric, and other materials that utilizes circuitry, sensors, and /or electronics where students can design and create a sewn project that implements innovative technology and re-enforces what they have learned about circuitry and coding. 

Kathy Biernat

St. Mary's Visitation

Kathy will be developing an indoor garden to teach valuable skills like teamwork, balancing pH values, vegetable growth cycles, harvesting techniques, and the scientific method. Additionally, students will explore concepts like sustainability, healthy living, and food production. 

Julie Kautzer

Oakfield High School

Julie is going to build a graphing wall.  Located on a space in the hallway between the physics classroom and the 6th grade science classroom, she will work with her sixth grade science colleague to maintain the wall.  There will be a graph of the week and kids will add comments about the trend that’s represented, while adding comments about slope, intercepts and the overall trends represented.

Melissa Wimmler

Discovery Charter School, Columbus

Melissa will purchase a portable printer (such as a Sprocket) that can be used in the classroom. Students will be able to print photos that they can immediately put in their science notebooks so students can easily document how their learning in the lab and outdoors.

Greg Bisbee

Arrowhead High School

Greg will purchase a class set of The Serengeti Rules (Sean Carroll) for use in his Landscape Ecology course. This will supplement the current text Bringing Nature Home (Tallamy) that emphasizes native ecosystems and the way that insects link plants and higher animals.

Shirley Stoltz

St Mary School

Shirley will purchase a variety of Carolina Biological Supply's dissection mats for her classroom, where she will apply concepts she learned at the NSTA regional conference in Milwaukee.