Ramona Convent STEM Department Chair, Mrs. Aulikki Flagan Chosen as One of 50 Teachers to Participate in 2015 National STEM Teachers Workshop
Congratulations to Ramona Convent STEM Department Chair, Mrs. Aulikki Flagan, who has been selected as one of only 50 teachers from across the country to participate in the 2015 National STEM Teachers Workshop: Bio-energy and Bio-products Education at the Wings of Eagles Discovery Center in Horseheads, New York, in July. The National Bioenergy and Bioproducts Education Programs (BBEP) is a USDA-NIFA-funded, multi-state professional development program for STEM teachers.
The program connects educators to major sustainable bioenergy research initiatives and includes intensive training in Bioenergy & Bioproducts STEM disciplines, including agriculture. At all BBEP workshops, teachers experience engaging hands-on activities, field trips to bio-based industries, research-based teaching materials, and networking opportunities with world-class researchers and other educators. Participants work together to develop and integrate resources appropriate for their classrooms. As pioneers in the emerging bioeconomy, many past participants are currently creating teaching materials for use by educators across the country. The workshops provide an opportunity to learn, create, and discover with a focus on Sustainability, Systems Thinking, Bioenergy, Green Chemistry, and Renewable Plastics from Plants. The entire program is sponsored by a grant led by Cornell University from the United States Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
Through funding from the USDA NIFA Sustainable Bioenergy programs, the Bioenergy and Bioproducts Education Programs Workshops provide kits and materials to participants, including Bioenergy and Bioproducts Primer, Lab Activities Workbooks, a Power Point slide set, and lab kits and videos for participants to bring back to their classrooms. The emphasis of the kits is research variables; they include a Grass-to-Sugars with enzymes lab kit, Shrink-plastic labels made from corn, Video- NOVA’s Percy Julian-Forgotten Genius, a Biofuels “Race-to-the-pumps!” concept map poster, a school Bioenergy Garden Kit and many more!
While in upstate New York, Mrs. Flagan will continue her passionate exploration of renewable energy and sustainability, review the latest biomass field research at the Big Flats Materials Center, and design lessons to bring renewable bio-energy and bio-products education back to Ramona. She will also prepare to serve as a resource for teachers throughout California.
We can’t wait to see where her leadership takes our students and our campus. Ramona Convent is a school for girls in grades 9 – 12 that is set apart by a rich curriculum, expansive selection of college preparatory and AP/Honors courses, comprehensive co-curricular programs, and a welcoming community. Students travel through four years of high school with the support of spirited friends and expert, caring, and engaged teachers while surrounded by the inspiring beauty of a park-like campus. We warmly invite you to visit and meet Ramona for yourself!
Ramona Convent Secondary School, 1701 West Ramona Road, Alhambra, (626) 282-4151 or visit www.ramonaconvent.org.
