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Local science teacher wins lab challenge

Tom Savage, a science teacher at Henderson County Early College High School, has been named a district winner in the Shell Science Lab Challenge, a competition for middle and high school science teachers.

Sponsored by the Shell Oil Company and administered by the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA), the competition encouraged teachers (grades 6-12) 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 support package valued at $20,000. Savage is one of 18 district winners named, from which five national finalists will be chosen, and from the national finalists a grand prize winner will be selected.

Savage’s goal is to take students’ innate curiosity and ignite their passion for science through inquiry. His strategy in presenting the best labs with limited resources is to keep the labs simple by using as many household items as possible. Online simulated labs are used extensively to conduct inquiries to make up for limited lab equipment. The lack of basic infrastructure has limited students’ ability to conduct involved chemistry inquiries and his ability to present demonstrations. The addition of six digital hotplate/stirrer devices for each table of four would allow students to control heat flow and the inclusion of the stirring option would help students control mixing solutions. Six balances would allow students enhanced control of their experiment.

To enter the Shell Science Lab Challenge, middle and high school science teachers in the U.S. and Canada were asked to describe their school’s current laboratory resources, explain why the school’s laboratory facilities might be classified as “limited” resources, and describe their approach to science education instruction utilizing their school’s current lab facilities. A panel of science educators then reviewed and selected the top entries.

As a district winner, each teacher and their school will receive a $3,000 science lab prize package that includes:
• $1,000 Shell grant to purchase lab equipment and other science education resources;
• $1,000 in donated science lab equipment donated by Carolina Biological Supply Company;
• $300 gift certificate to the NSTA Science Store;
• One year NSTA membership for two teachers;
• NSTA Learning Center subscription for two teachers; and
• Paid registration for two teachers to attend a 2017 NSTA Area Conference on Science Education.