Philip Surks

South Burlington, VT | 7-12, Science, 2019

What motivates you to contribute to excellence in STEM teaching?

It's fun! And it is important.

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

Seeing students who do not otherwise feel successful in school get hooked on some facet of STEM learning or a cool, fun project. The lightbulb goes off, and the relevance becomes clear.

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

Keep doing what I am doing and helping others do the same.

Biography

Philip "Phil" Surks has been an educator for over 25 years. He has been a science teacher and Department Chair at South Burlington High School for the past eight years. Prior to that, he was a full-time science teacher at Champlain Valley Union High School for eleven years, and he spent his first three years teaching at Needham High School. Before teaching, Phil had a career as a mechanical engineering consultant. In addition to teaching numerous Physics classes including AP, Phil leads the science & Technology department and is an active member of the school's academic leadership team. In this capacity, Phil has been on the forefront of the development and implementation of numerous progressive school initiatives. He also supports the many efforts of the school's top-notch science teaching team and manages the complex workings of the science department. The best part of Phil’s day are when he is in his classroom with his students. He has an ardent enthusiasm for his content area and genuinely enjoys interacting with teenagers to help them to understand and learn to think critically about the world around them. Phil's lessons are hands-on, relevant, and engaging. His classroom is inviting, energetic, and fun—an observer actually witnessed pigs flying during one of Phil's recent lab activities. Granted, they were battery-operated pigs, but they were flying nonetheless. Phil earned his B.S. and M.S. in mechanical engineering as well as a M.A.T., all from Tufts University. He is certified in high school physics.

High-resolution version of the official portrait photograph
Awardee with Dr. Quincy Brown, Senior Policy Advisor at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and Dr. Sylvia Butterfield, Acting Assistant Director at the Directorate for Education and Human Resources (EHR) within the National Science Foundation (NSF)
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.