Alyson Saunders

Dexter, ME | 7-12, Science, 2017

What motivates you to contribute to excellence in STEM teaching?

I am continuously fascinated by the past, present and future of scientific advancements. I am motivated to share that passion and enthusiasm because I know how much excitement and understanding of the world it has brought me. In order to provide the best opportunities for my students I always want to learn more, and I find that this also leads me to sharing my understanding with other educators. This whole cycle is part of who I am and what brings me joy.

What has been the most transformative moment that affirmed your impact on STEM education?

Besides my PAEMST recognition, being asked to be on the Jackson Laboratory's Education Advisory Board was a moment when I realized that my experience and knowledge is valuable to others and that I can have an impact on the design and implementation of educational materials that hundreds of other educators might use. When translated to their students, that impact becomes thousands of people.

Using your platform as a Presidential Awardee, how do you hope to advance our nation in STEM?

I hope that when I speak to others about the importance of STEM and STEM education to our nation's future that they might take it more seriously. This is most important to me in my own classroom where my students and our community know that I'm speaking from a place of deep knowledge and understanding of the subject. The more students I inspire to become STEM professionals, enthusiasts, or citizen scientists the broader my overall impact will be.

Biography

Alyson Saunders has taught science at Dexter Regional High School for more than 17 years. She currently teaches 10th-grade Biology, 12th-grade Advanced Biology, and 9-12th-grade STEM Research. In addition, Alyson has taught chemistry, astronomy, and ecology. After her children were born, Alyson also worked for The Maine Mathematics and Science Alliance for several years as an informal STEM educator. In that capacity, she leveraged out-of-school opportunities to connect youth with potential STEM pathways in her community and beyond. Since her return to the classroom, she has used those skills to help students engage with things such as teen science cafes, and the Maine State Science Fair. By working with local government and nonprofits, Alyson connects learning to the community through projects like local ecosystem sampling and hosting local STEM symposia. She is a 2023 ASRT alumna (Advancing STEM Research Teaching) and has also partnered with The Jackson Laboratory on their Teaching the Genome Generation project since 2015, to bring modern biotechnology skills and genomics education to her small rural school. Alyson is on the school's leadership team, is a department head, and has facilitated multiple high school and elementary school STEM-related activity nights. Alyson earned a B.S., summa cum laude, in biology from the University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point, a B.S., summa cum laude, in secondary science education from the University of Maine Orono and a MEd. in Curriculum, Assessment and Instruction from the University of Maine Orono. She is certified in secondary life science.

High-resolution version of the official portrait photograph
Awardee holding Presidential certificate with National Science Foundation Directorate for Education and Human Resources Assistant Director, Dr. Karen Marrongelle, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Director, Dr. Kelvin K. Droegemeier, and National Science Foundation Chief Operating Officer, Dr. F. Fleming Crim
High-resolution version of the teacher profile photograph

The views expressed in awardee profiles are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of NSF or the PAEMST program.