Dayton Regional STEM Fellow Ben McCombs from Kettering’s Van Buren Middle School will be recognized at NSTA’s National Conference as a recipient of the 2014 PASCO STEM Educator Award. This prestigious national award annually recognizes five educators who demonstrate an excellence in innovation in the STEM education arena. Mr. McCombs has participated in the Dayton Regional STEM Fellow’s program since Fall of 2011. He attributes his STEM abilities to participation in programs such as the DRSC’s STEM Fellows model and a partner NSF:RET program through University of Dayton in which Mr. McCombs has explored engineering design concepts, problem-based learning, the STEM Education Quality Framework, as well as numerous STEM careers and associated skills sets.
“Mr. McCombs is a dedicated educator who has continually sought to enhance his classroom instruction through providing his students diverse hands-on STEM educational experiences. His participation in our STEM Fellows program is testament to the value of sustained professional development and the associated STEM community in which he has become an integral member of. We are all very proud of Ben and excited for the recognition this award provides Ben and Kettering School District” quotes Sandra Preiss, Coordinator of the Dayton Regional STEM Center.