OEHS Teacher Lauds ‘Amazing Opportunity’ to Participate in Fellowship Program

This fall, teacher Sharon Cannavino will return to her classroom with a deeper understanding of the practical implications of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) concepts.

Cannavino spent part of her summer break engaged in an immersive research program at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Oak Ridge, Tenn., working with a team of scientists and fellow teachers to look at transient gene expression as part of an elite fellowship program arranged by the Siemens Foundation, Discovery Education, Oak Ridge Associated Universities and the College Board.

She was one of just 20 teachers from across the country selected to participate in the research project through the prestigious Siemens Teachers as Researchers fellowship program. STARs is part of the Siemens STEM Academy, a premier online professional development community for STEM educators empowering and celebrating excellence in STEM education.

The Siemens Foundation, Discovery Education and their partners developed the STARs fellowship to invigorate teachers by immersing them in authentic research alongside some of the country’s brightest scientific minds. The hope is that these teachers will bring the experience back into their classrooms and inspire their students to pursue STEM education and careers.

"We hope that Sharon’s experience at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and the experiences of all of her cohorts, will help inspire their students to become our country’s next generation of scientists and engineers," said Jeniffer Harper-Taylor, president of the Siemens Foundation. "We see the STARs program as a key part of the Siemens Foundation’s broad effort to improve our country’s competency in STEM education and are honored that Sharon was able to participate.”

At the ORNL, Cannavino and her colleagues worked with Xiaohan Yang of the ORNL’s Biosciences Division, to conduct a computational analysis of the gene families of various plant systems.

“This was an amazing opportunity to put STEM concepts into action and connect what I’ve been teaching in the classroom to the real world,” Cannavino said. “I can’t wait to get back to my students to share with them what I learned.”

In addition to their research, Cannavino and the other STARs fellows were involved in a number of facility tours and seminars aimed at helping them effectively incorporate research into their classrooms. Each teacher also received a grant to purchase equipment and/or supplies for their classroom.

Following the programs, the Fellows will serve as ambassadors in their schools and communities as they continue working together on various STEM projects and empowering their peers with the tools and knowledge gained at the STARs program. The hope is that these teachers will then bring the experience back into their classrooms and inspire students to pursue opportunities in STEM related fields.