Roger Wesley McCoy

Kennesaw, GA | 7-12, Science, 1996

What motivates you to contribute to excellence in STEM teaching?

I was fascinated with science since my Grandfather, John Amick, insisted that we all run outdoors to watch a little light fly over our house. It was Sputnik, the first artificial satellite. I was 3 years old.I grew to love not only science (and math and music and art...) but to love COMMUNICATION: writing, drawing, speaking, radio, television. I knew I could teach science once I overcame my bashfulness. My minister, Rev. Bill Martin, convinced me I was capable. I still love to help people learn.

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

My dissertation (guided by Dr. Jack Hassard at Georgia State) allowed me to interview 31 9th graders at our school BEFORE they had taken a Biology course. This allowed me to find out what understandings of EVOLUTION they brought to our school. I interviewed some of those students again in their senior year (three of them became Science Olympiad students). Then, I partnered with Dr. Mike Dias at Kennesaw State University to interview those same students as adults. With Dr. Dias helping me conduct interviews that I could record, we evaluated the changes that had occurred in these folks from age 14 till age 30. Our book will be published soon: "What Does it Mean to Understand Evolution? Conceptual Change from 9th Grade to Adulthood".

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

I help people of all ages understand science. I help people grasp the concepts of human evolution with the Broader Social Impacts Committee of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. I help people discuss their Christian faith related to science, serving on the Editorial Board of SciTech, a science and faith journal. I am co-founder of the Cobb County Remembrance Committee, in partnership with the Equal Justice Initiative, accurately telling the stories of our past (cobbcrc.com)

Biography

Dr. Wes McCoy was Lead Science Education consultant for Georgia Public Broadcasting, helping to create Chemistry Matters, a set of videos teaching a full year of Chemistry as well as the Fast Forward series of Georgia STEM career videos. https://www.gpb.org/chemistry-matters/about https://www.gpb.org/fast-forward He was Science Department Chair and Biology, Genetics and Astronomy teacher at North Cobb High School, Kennesaw, GA, for 33 years. He taught four years for NASA's John F. Kennedy Space Center as an Education Specialist, and taught one year on a Fulbright exchange to Ecclesbourne School, England. His B.S. in Biology is from Georgia State University, M.Ed. is from The University of Georgia, and Ph.D. in Science Education is from Georgia State University. Among his awards, Dr. McCoy has been named Georgia Science Teacher of the Year, Outstanding Biology Teacher for Georgia, and PAESMT. In 2002, he was recognized by the American Association for the Advancement of Science with the Scientific Freedom and Responsibility Award, given for his work to improve the teaching of evolution in Georgia. His Christa McAuliffe Fellowship enabled him to publish the first statewide Science magazine written by Georgia high school students, Georgia Biology. Dr. McCoy is the winner of the National Evolution Education Award and was selected Atlanta's Honor Teacher, Cobb County School District Teacher of the Year and STAR Teacher twice. He is very humbled by the fact that his students have dedicated their yearbook to him twice. He currently serves on the Broader Social Impacts Committee at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History Human Origins Project. He serves on the Executive and Editorial Boards of the Presbyterian Association on Science, Technology and Christian Faith.

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