GRI Research Fellow Named Top Science Teacher of the Year

October 20, 2011

Dr. Renee Clary was recently named Mississippi's College Science Teacher of the Year by the Mississippi Science Teachers Association. Dr. Clary is a Research Fellow for the Geosystems Research Institute and a Geology/Geoscience Education Assistant Professor within the Department of Geosciences at Mississippi State. She also serves as the director of the Dunn-Seiler Geology Museum at Mississippi State.

The mission of the Mississippi Science Teachers Association is to improve science education throughout the state and recognize teachers who excel in the field. The association includes science teachers from elementary schools up to college professors.

Clary is also co-founder of the EarthScholars Research Group, whose primary focus is the integration of geological and biological (geobiological) knowledge during science instruction, in both formal and informal settings. Current areas of their research include:

1. the incorporation of the history of geobiology to improve science understanding,
2. the improvement of visual geology/biology learning through innovative visualization strategies,
3. the maximization of geology/biology learning opportunities and experiences in informal educational settings and at field sites, and
4. the monitoring and improvement of public understanding of botany and geology.