Dear Colleague


"INNOVATION HEROES" NOMINATIONS NEEDED


As Arizona embarks upon a the new school year, we invite you to help us identify students and educators who stand out as potential "Innovation Heroes." 

 

Science Foundation Arizona (SFAz) honors our state's outstanding students and teachers who are making significant strides in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education, through their extraordinary efforts to learn and teach others how to make STEM more accessible and applicable to everyday life.  

 

Our "Innovation Heroes" program is ongoing and statewide and our goal is to present an award each month during the school year.  With support from Freeport McMoRan Copper and Gold Foundation and The Rodel Foundation of Arizona, winners walk away with more than recognition:  teachers receive a $500 gift card for expenses, while students get an EE Savings bond for college worth $1,000.

 

Examples of a few of our past "Innovation Heroes" include:

 

  • Sandra Trevino, a math teacher at Sierra Vista High School, was chosen for her efforts to make complex concepts in trigonometry easier for her students to understand and use in day-to-day life.  She utilizes pasta to map out sines and has students act as data points in life-sized graphs. 

 

  • Jonathan Harris, a student at Carl Hayden High School in Phoenix, was chosen for his drive and dedication to the school's robotics team, the Falcons, and for his work in building a monitoring system to help members better control robots' movements.

 

  • Brison Torbert, an engineering teacher at Liberty High School in Peoria, employs hands-on methods to teach his students concepts in physics and engineering, including golfing with marshmallows as balls and learning software programs using popular animated characters.

 

To download a nomination form, please visit SFAz online or click here and submit a completed nomination to us at hwilkinson@sfaz.org.  Please feel free to email or call us with any questions. 

 

Thank you for your help.


With best regards,


Darcy Renfro


Vice President & Director STEM Initiatives