{"607567":{"#nid":"607567","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Georgia Tech GIFT Alumna Wins Top National Educator Award","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EScience teacher Carrie Beth Rykowski of Cumming, Georgia, is one of the 2018 recipients of the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.paemst.org\/\u0022\u003EPresidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching\u003C\/a\u003E. The White House announced the award on June 25. The recognition is the highest for excellence in teaching that is available to K-12 mathematics or science teachers in the U.S.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EA \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/gtvault-my.sharepoint.com\/personal\/st154_gatech_edu\/Documents\/Attachments\/gatech.edu\u0022\u003EGeorgia Tech\u003C\/a\u003E graduate (BS \u0026rsquo;07 Management), Rykowski was a sixth-grade earth sciences teacher in 2012-15. She has been a STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics) teacher for grades 6-8 at Vickery Creek Middle School, in Forsyth County, Georgia, since 2016.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ERykowski is an alumna of the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.ceismc.gatech.edu\/gift\u0022\u003EGeorgia Intern Fellowship for Teachers\u003C\/a\u003E (GIFT), which profoundly influenced her teaching.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EGIFT is a program at Georgia Tech\u0026rsquo;s \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ceismc.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ECenter for Education Integrating Science, Mathematics \u0026amp; Computing\u003C\/a\u003E (CEISMC). It pairs K-12 STEM teachers with science and engineering mentors for summer internships. The program\u0026rsquo;s goal is to give teachers real-world research and industry experience. It also assists educators in creating innovative lesson plans for STEM classes.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ERykowski participated in the GIFT program in 2014. \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.me.gatech.edu\/faculty\/hesketh\u0022\u003EPeter Hesketh\u003C\/a\u003E of \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.me.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EGeorge W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering\u003C\/a\u003E was her mentor. From 2015 through 2017, Rykowski worked with \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/howard.ece.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EAyanna Howard\u003C\/a\u003E, at the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.ic.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ESchool of Interactive Computing.\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EBecause of the GIFT experience, Rykowski shifted her teaching away from students having to memorize. Instead, she asks students to figure out how we know what we know. That shift \u0026ldquo;exemplifies CEISMC\u0026rsquo;s goal of empowering teachers to advance students\u0026rsquo; interest and readiness to excel in STEM,\u0026rdquo; said Bonnie Harris, director of GIFT.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWhen Rykowski noticed that students enjoyed arts-infused engineering lessons, she created an elective course: STEAM Generation, which combines arts, engineering, and computer science. More than 300 students in grades 6-8 have registered for the course for the 2018-19 school year.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ERykowski also participated in \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.nsf.gov\/funding\/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=504995\u0022\u003EPRIME\u003C\/a\u003E, a sub-group cohort of the GIFT program funded by the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.nsf.gov\/\u0022\u003ENational Science Foundation\u003C\/a\u003E (NSF), where she learned computer programming. She now coaches two robotics teams at her school. She introduced her students to \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/scratch.mit.edu\/\u0022\u003EScratch\u003C\/a\u003E, an online coding platform, which her classes use for science projects.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;I am so excited about this award. It is a huge vote for STEAM and the amazing work my students have created,\u0026rdquo; Rykowski said. \u0026ldquo;The partnership between NSF, Georgia Tech, and my classroom has made a huge impact. Kids get to see themselves as scientists and engineers who can solve exciting problems.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ERykowski is also proud that her students consistently perform well on the end-of-year standardized test, the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.gadoe.org\/Curriculum-Instruction-and-Assessment\/Assessment\/Pages\/Georgia-Milestones-Assessment-System.aspx\u0022\u003EGeorgia Milestones\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAward recipients lead their communities in improving mathematics and science education. They receive a certificate signed by the President of the United States. They are invited to Washington, D.C., to participate in recognition events and professional development opportunities. They also receive a $10,000 award from the National Science Foundation.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ERykowski has presented her lessons at multiple \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.georgiascienceteacher.org\/\u0022\u003EGeorgia Science Teachers Association\u003C\/a\u003E Conferences and at the 2016 Woodruff Arts Center Educator Conference.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn 2016, Rykowski drew upon her GIFT lab experiences and consultations with her mentors to win the Paul A. Duke GIFT Action Plan Achievement First Place Award. She placed third in 2017. The annual award, presented at the End of Summer GIFT Program luncheon recognizes three outstanding teachers for converting their GIFT internships into lesson plans.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;We are so proud when a GIFT teacher is recognized in this way.\u0026nbsp; It is a testament to their excellence in the classroom and leadership in STEM education,\u0026rdquo; said CEISMC Executive Director Lizanne DeStefano. \u0026ldquo;The GIFT program will continue to identify and support outstanding STEM teachers across the state of Georgia.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EBy: Rosemary Pitrone - CEISMC Communications\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Carrie Beth Rykowski Honed Her Science and Mathematics Teaching through CEISMC\u0027s GIFT Program "}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EScience teacher Carrie Beth Rykowski of Cumming, Georgia, is one of the 2018 recipients of the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.paemst.org\/\u0022\u003EPresidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching\u003C\/a\u003E. The White House announced the award on June 25. The recognition is the highest for excellence in teaching that is available to K-12 mathematics or science teachers in the U.S.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Georgia Tech\u2019s CEISMC GIFT program inspires middle school teacher Carrie Beth Rykowski\u2019s pedagogy in STEM education."}],"uid":"28054","created_gmt":"2018-07-09 13:57:56","changed_gmt":"2018-07-25 13:19:42","author":"Steven Taylor","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2018-07-09T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2018-07-09T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"607575":{"id":"607575","type":"image","title":"Carrie Beth Rykowski","body":null,"created":"1531154933","gmt_created":"2018-07-09 16:48:53","changed":"1532524568","gmt_changed":"2018-07-25 13:16:08","alt":"Carrie Beth Rykowski","file":{"fid":"231919","name":"740xX_scale.jpeg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/740xX_scale.jpeg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/740xX_scale.jpeg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":12735,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/740xX_scale.jpeg?itok=SIhRLlxL"}}},"media_ids":["607575"],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/ceismc.gatech.edu\/gift","title":"CEISMC GIFT Program"},{"url":"https:\/\/ceismc.gatech.edu","title":"Georgia Tech CEISMC"},{"url":"http:\/\/www.paemst.org\/","title":"Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching"}],"groups":[{"id":"598218","name":"K-12 Connection"},{"id":"361651","name":"Center for Education Integrating Science, Mathematics and Computing (CEISMC)"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"}],"keywords":[{"id":"178501","name":"Carrie Beth Rykowski"},{"id":"411","name":"CEISMC"},{"id":"178502","name":"Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching"},{"id":"270","name":"gift"},{"id":"6522","name":"CoS"},{"id":"10097","name":"PRIME"},{"id":"363","name":"NSF"},{"id":"362","name":"National Science Foundation"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EBonnie\u0026nbsp;F. Harris\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EDirector, Strategic Partnerships\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nProgram Director, Georgia Intern-Fellowships for Teachers (GIFT)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCenter for Education Integrating Science, Mathematics and Computing (CEISMC)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCollege of Sciences\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nGeorgia Institute of Technology\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n817 West Peachtree Street, NW, Suite 300\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nAtlanta, GA 30308 USA\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n404.894.7530\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["Bonnie.Harris@ceismc.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}