It is an honor and a privilege to be nominated for, let alone receive, such a prestigious award. This award represents the recognition of years of hard work and the importance of science education in an age of denialism. It recognizes the labor of love of science teachers across the nation. It validates the long hours of preparation for class. It also validates my life decisions that eventually led me to become a teacher: underpaid, overworked, and very happy. My students are my greatest reward.

Jorge Jimenez Gonzalez Caguas, PR | 7-12, Science, 2023

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

Jorge W. Jimenez Gonzalez has been a high school science professor at Thomas Alva Edison School in Caguas, Puerto Rico, since 2017. He was hired as a mathematics and science teacher, offering Algebra, Pre-Calculus, Calculus, and Physics, and he now teaches Biology, Chemistry, Environmental Science, and Physics to students in grades 10-12. During this time, he has worked on curricular changes, including the addition of Advanced Placement courses. Along with other faculty members, Jorge has implemented year-long research projects for students, adapted from Design Thinking. Implementing Design Thinking in the curriculum originates from his educational and professional background. Jorge graduated in 1984 from Dr. Carlos Gonzalez High School in Aguada, a small town on the west coast of Puerto Rico. He was admitted to the University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez campus to study physics. After two years, he transferred to the University of Michigan where he completed his B.S. in physics and M.S. in physics. After graduating from his master’s program, Jorge worked as a research engineer in lasers for a Japanese automotive company. He later worked for a telecommunications company developing high-speed optical detectors and subsequently started working at the laboratory of the University of Michigan, where the high-speed detectors were fabricated. In 2003, Jorge moved back to Puerto Rico to work in technical sales, representing major microscope and laser manufacturers. He also taught physics to high school teachers and Optoelectronics to fiber optics technicians at a local university, at which point he was hired at Thomas Alva Edison School. Jorge’s real-life science and engineering background, and later the interactions with his students, have made him the teacher he is today.

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