Sarah Urban

Helena, MT | 7-12, Science, 2023

What motivates you to contribute to excellence in STEM teaching?

My 10th grade class is the students’ last “required” science class. This motivates me to teach skills that are relevant now but also to build their STEM confidence and critical thinking capacity while preparing them for success in future STEM endeavors. I can ignite a passion for STEM in individuals, lay a foundation for a scientifically literate community, and inspire future STEM professionals. Every student deserves high quality STEM education, and I’m honored to be a part of their journey.

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

My impact on STEM education is not defined by a single moment but by a collection of moments. These include daily interactions with students who demonstrate growth and resilience. It includes letters from students stating, “I took another science class because of you” or “I’m in medical school and I wanted to tell you the impact you had on me.” One student stated, “You treat us as if each of us were your only student” which is the core of my teaching. These moments affirm that what happens in the classroom impacts STEM education far beyond it. Finally, the impact is demonstrated in other classes by my work mentoring others and collaborating to improve instruction—creating a ripple that strengthens STEM education across my school and state.

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

As a Presidential Awardee, I will focus on the role educators play in creating the future STEM workforce but also a scientifically literate community. This includes bolstering recruitment, retention, and career-building systems for educators along with providing opportunities for students to have hands-on, relevant, authentic learning experiences to build STEM skills. In order to ensure a quality STEM education for every student we need to ensure that we prepare and equip quality STEM educators.

Biography

Sarah Urban has been an educator for 22 years, with the last 20 teaching science at Capital High School. She previously taught at Helena High School and Fremont Middle School. As a lifelong learner, Sarah instills a growth mindset in her 9-12th grade Honors Biology and Advanced Placement Biology students by encouraging them to ask questions, build models, and pursue extensions to learning both in and out of the classroom. Sarah stays current in science content and engages students in relevant, authentic science experiences and real-world learning through collaboration in programs like the National Institute of Health Science Education Partnership Award (SEPA) programs. These include Phages Helping Acquire Genuine Experiences in Science (PHAGES) through Montana Technological University, Research Education on Air and Cardiovascular Health (REACH) with University of Montana, and as a model teacher through 3D Molecular Designs (Tomorrow’s Science Today: Preparing for the Next Pandemic). Through these partnerships, her students have the opportunity to discover bacteriophages, to present research projects at state and national competitions, and to be immersed in conceptual and hands-on modeling. Sarah earned a B.S., magna cum laude, in cellular biology from Western Washington University and a master’s in teaching degree with an emphasis in secondary education from Whitworth University. She is certified in secondary biology, chemistry, and broadfield science, and is a National Board Certified Teacher in adolescent and young adult biology.

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.