Kelly Weston

JACKSON TWP — Seneca Valley teacher Kelly Weston is back from Tennessee where she was among 40 teachers nationwide in a professional development course.

Weston was chosen for the Siemens Teachers as Researchers, or STARs, fellowship program. As part of that, Weston conducted research, toured museums and got to listen to a lecture from a Nobel Prize laureate.

Weston, an Advanced Placement chemistry teacher at the senior high school, called it “the best professional development” she’s ever had in more than 15 years of teaching.

Weston went to the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Oak Ridge from July 20 to Aug. 1. The entire program was paid for by Siemens.

Weston and other educators worked with a nationally-renowned scientist on a project that involved neutron scattering to examine plant cells. They then examined processes to improve the conversion of plants into biofuels.

She also attended a number of educational seminars that focused on helping teachers incorporate research into their classrooms. Each teacher also received a grant to buy equipment and supplies.

The experience will help Weston, and in turn help her students, gain a more practical understanding for the use of STEM concepts in their daily lives. STEM stands for science, technology, engineering and math.

Of the trip, Weston said, “Everything was so well planned out and it was a very, very busy trip. I never felt like any time was being wasted. Everything had so much benefit to it.”

Weston was most intrigued by the experiments involving converting the plants into biofuels. She said the process involved breaking down the plants into sugars and then converting the sugars into ethanol.

Perhaps the most valuable part of the experience was the connections she made with other educators. She met and befriended a middle school math teacher from Indiana, and the two will continue to share tactics and ideas for classrooms activities.

“The connections I made with other people were amazing,” she said. “We talked about different things we could do to build a collaboration between our classrooms.”

Weston said she will take the knowledge she gained and transfer it to her classrooms. She’ll also use the experience in teaching students in the science honors society, which is entering its third year of existence.

The fellowship is a joint program among the Siemens Foundation, Discovery Education and the Oak Ridge Associated University. It provides STEM teachers the opportunity to immerse themselves with top scientists and to give them experiences to use in the classroom.

Superintendent Tracy Vitale said that she recently watched videos related to Weston’s trip, and that she was “extremely pleased” Weston got to go.

“I have no doubt our students will greatly benefit from her involvement,” Vitale said. “Ms. Weston is an exceptional teacher, and her selection for attendance at this elite program is further evidence of her abilities.”

Vitale added that Seneca Valley has been at the forefront of STEM education and that opportunities like Weston’s are “vital” to keeping students current on those topics.

“We congratulate Ms. Weston and thank her for representing Seneca Valley so well,” Vitale said.