By Meg Peters
Review Co-Editor
Biology came alive for Lake Orion High School teacher Andrea Brook after she represented Michigan in a national conference.?
After being awarded as Michigan’s 2015 Outstanding Biology Teacher in May, Brook was invited as an honorary guest to the National Association of Biology Teachers (NABT) Carolina Biological Supply Company’s Honors Luncheon in Providence, Rhode Island in November. Just being there granted her access to cutting-edge university research and high-quality materials she can now wow her students with, including a couple of interesting new labs.
3D-printouts of a set of extinct horse teeth are just one example of the treasures she brought home. The University of Florida invited Brook to test a new biology lab they developed giving her the materials free of charge.?
‘My students will now collect the same data that leading researchers at that university collected,? Brook said. ‘The knowledge that was shared at this conference came from the best of the best in the world of Biology and Science Education research.??
Brook was selected for the award after an extensive application process for her teaching abilities, experience, involvement in the school and community, inventiveness and initiative.?
At the conference she attended a variety of presentations and workshops focused on relevant topics such as Next Generation Science Standards, Standards-Based Assessment and Modeling. She spoke with several organizations on future opportunities including those from the University of Florida, Educational Testing Services and BioRad Corporation with the potential of granting her new resources for her biology classroom.?
One of the best parts was the networking as Brook met biology educators from high schools, colleges and universities from across the country.?
At first Brook was a little worried about the costs for the trip as a single mother of two. But the innovative biology teacher paved her own way.?
She struck a deal with the NABT to volunteer her time at the conference if they waived all conference fees. Then she called upon her local MEEMIC agents John and Marie Pino, of the Pino Agency of Rochester, who Brook knew as extremely supportive of local educators.?
Owner John Pino, who has handled Brook’s home and auto insurance since 1998, generously offered the young biology teacher a $1,000 scholarship to cover her travel expenses.?
Brook said her trip would not have been possible without the Pino’s generosity.?
In his email, John Pino said how this conference would be an intangible award for Brook’s hard work and accomplishments in education, and how he was pleased to ‘give back to someone who is giving to others each day.??
Now, settled back into her classroom after nearly a week spent in Providence, Brook is eager to begin infusing her curriculum with the expansive resources she gleaned at the NABT conference.