To me, the Presidential Award is like a Nobel Prize for STEM teachers. It is the highest honor I can imagine for the work I am so passionate about: exciting, engaging, motivating, and empowering my students. The Presidential Award validates my persistent efforts of trying new pedagogical approaches and differentiating instruction for students from diverse backgrounds to enrich their journey into STEM because, especially today, our world needs critical thinkers and problem solvers.

Patrycja Krakowiak-Valdivia Hot Springs, AR | 7-12, Science, 2021

The official biography below was current at the time of the award.

Patrycja Krakowiak has taught life science courses to grades 10-12 at the Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences, and the Arts for 20 years. In addition to high school, she has taught undergraduate, graduate, and medical-school since 1992. As a Life Science Specialist, Patrycja teaches Science of Biology, Anatomy & Physiology, Genetics, Biomedical Physics, Molecular Biology, and the Life Science Capstone classes, and also co-directs programs that train teachers (Advanced Biology Plus Program) and undergraduate/graduate students (Arkansas Summer Research Institute). She also serves as the school's Science Department Chair. Innovation is at the core of what Patrycja does, because of her background as a scientist. She tests if new methods of engagement and retention improve student learning. Always pushing the boundaries, Patrycja includes the latest inquiry labs (CRISPR-Cas9), engaging technologies like Pear Deck and Blooket, and independent research in her classes to excite, motivate, and empower. Her passion for research has also led to national-level International Science and Engineering Fair, Regeneron Science Talent Search, and American Junior Academy of Science student participation. Patrycja continues to present at state and national conferences and has won awards such The Henry Ford’s Innovation Nation Teacher Innovator Awards grand prize winner. Patrycja earned a B.S. in chemistry, with a focus in molecular biology, from Brigham Young University and a Ph.D. in human genetics from the University of Utah. She completed a postdoctoral fellowship at National Institutes of Health and has published over 25 peer-reviewed journal articles. She is also both state and Nationally Board Certified in science education.

Know a great teacher like Patrycja Krakowiak-Valdivia? Nominate them for PAEMST!