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| Dr. Jack Rhoton |
Dr. Jack Rhoton,
Executive Director,
Center of Excellence in Mathematics and Science Education
Dr. Jack Rhoton has dedicated nearly 20 years at East Tennessee State University, building a nationally recognized professional development program for science education, K -16. Prior to joining ETSU in 1987, Rhoton had 15 years of experience in public school settings in which he served as a high school science teacher and K -12 science supervisor. Known for his creative approaches to investigating science education issues, his work focuses on the preparation of pre-service and in-service teachers of science and mathematics. His efforts have impacted university faculty members; K -12 teachers; and elementary, middle and high school students. He has received nearly six million dollars in grant funding to support math and science education in Northeast Tennessee. A prolific science education author, he has published five books and sixty journal articles, and he has made numerous presentations at the local, state, and national levels. Further, thousands of students have been positively affected as a result of his many endeavors.
Rhoton has served as president of the National Science Education Leadership Association (NSELA), Tennessee Academy of Science (TAS), and the Tennessee Science Teachers Association (TSTA). He has also served as program chair for the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) area Conferences and as an NSTA board member, editor of a series of NSTA/NSELA publications, including the Science Educator Journal.
He has received many honors, including the National Science Education Leadership Outstanding Science Education Leadership Award, National Science Teachers Association Distinguished Service Award, East Tennessee State University Distinguished Faculty Award, Tennessee Academy of Science Outstanding Science Teacher Award, and the Tennessee Science Teachers Association Distinguished Educator of the Year Award.
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| Dr. Chih-Che Tai |
Dr. Chih-Che Tai,
Assistant Director/Professor of Science Education
Center of Excellence in Mathematics and Science Education
Dr. Chih-Che Tai has served as the assistant director of the Center of Excellence in Mathematics and Science Education and an assistant professor of science education in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at East Tennessee State University since July 2009.
Dr. Tai's academic activities include teaching science education content and method courses, developing and implementing grant proposals to improve math and science education at all levels, cooperating with STEM education faculty on grant proposals to improve math and science education, and assisting in the university's outreach and research efforts in math and science education. His research interests include investigating K-12 students' conceptual understanding of science, technology, engineering and technology, studying the application of technology to K-12 classrooms, investigating students' understanding of science in different countries or learning environments, and studying the learning of science in informal educational settings.
He is currently serving a TN Race to the Top STEM PD project (PI) and a TN 2012 Improving Teacher Quality project (PI). He has implemented the Inquiry-, Standards-, Problem-, Technology-based instruction for K-5 in-service teachers and the pre-service middle teacher program at ETSU since 2009.
Dr. Tai holds a Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in Chemistry from National Taiwan University Taiwan, is a certified chemistry and physics teacher in Taiwan and holds a Ph. D. degree in Science Education from Teachers College, Columbia University. He has taught physics and chemistry in middle schools in Taiwan.
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| Dr. Aimee L. Govett |
Dr. Aimee Govett
K-6 Science Specialist
Dr. Aimee Govett is an associate professor of science education in the Department of Curriculum & Instruction at East Tennessee State University, having earned an Ed.D. from West Virginia University. Prior to coming to ETSU, she taught for five years at the University of Nevada at Las Vegas where she was appointed program director and advisor for the Professional Development Degree in Science and Education (PDDSE) an alternative teacher licensure program. Her teaching experience includes elementary science methods, secondary science methods, cultural diversity, and various graduate courses such as physics for teachers, evolution & the nature of science, science curriculum & theory, and curriculum development.
Dr. Govett now serves as the Faculty Senate Representative from the Clemmer College of Education (2006-2009), as a member of Faculty Senate Committee: Research, Creative, and Scholarly Activities (2006-2007), and as a Scientist Voting Member of the campus Institutional Review Board (IRB) Standing Committee (until August 15, 2008). Her responsibilities as a Mid-Atlantic Regional Representative for the Association for Science Teacher Education (ASTE) (2004-2008) and her position as Student Tennessee Education Association (STEA) advisor require commitments at the state, regional, and national levels.
Her grant experience includes awards as a principal investigator on various General Competition projects (TQI: Tennessee Higher Education Commission) and Eisenhower Professional Development Program Awards, and as a consultant and site coordinator and lead faculty on other outside funding (NSF, US Department of Education, and Eisenhower).
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Dr. Ryan Nivens |
Dr. Ryan Nivens
Assistant Professor of Mathematics Education
Dr. Ryan Nivens is an assistant professor of mathematics education in the Department of Curriculum & Instruction at East Tennessee State University. He received his Ph.D in mathematics education at the University of Missouri where he was also a fellow of the Center for the Study of Mathematics Curriculum (CSMC) for four years. He also served as a mathematics education consultant for the state of Missouri Department of Education.
As a consultant for the Missouri Department of Education (1999-2007), he worked extensively with the Missouri Math Academy, a statewide program aimed to improve the teaching and content knowledge of middle school mathematics teachers. In this role, he helped develop curriculum for teachers in both algebra and geometry and worked on its modification year-to-year with the other consultants using the Japanese lesson study model. He continues to work with middle school math teachers at ETSU through the Eastman Scholar Mathletes program (2008- present).
Dr. Nivens taught for seven years for Springfield Public Schools in Missouri, teaching Algebra, Geometry, Math Analysis/Trigonometry, as well as IB Computer Science at the SL level. After he left the classroom, he received a Teacher Appreciation Award from one of his former students in the Missouri Scholars Academy (2006). While working at the University of Missouri, he received a nomination for the MU College of Education Instructor of the Year (2008) and received the MU Graduate Student Association Superior Graduate Achievement Award ( 2008) for his service to the university and work within the department of Learning, Teaching, and Curriculum.
Currently, Dr. Nivens provides leadership in his field by serving as the president of both the Appalachian Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators (AAMTE) and the Upper East Tennessee Council of Teachers of Mathematics (UETCTM). He serves as an ex-officio board member for the Tennessee Mathematics Teachers Association and is the newsletter editor for the UETCTM Newsletter, published six times a year. He frequently gives presentations at the annual and regional meetings of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.
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Alan Redmond |
Mr. Alan Redmond,
Adjunct Science Faculty Member
Mr. Alan Redmond is an adjunct faculty member with the Clemmer College of Education at East Tennessee State University. Previously he served thirty years with the Kingsport (Tennessee) City Schools as a science teacher, coach and administrator. He spent nine summers as co-director of the Kingsport City Schools Summer Science Challenge, a hands-on enrichment program.
While with the Kingsport City Schools he also served three years on-loan to Eastman Chemical Company as a school liaison. At Eastman he helped establish the company’s Putting Children First program connecting industry with area schools. He organized and directed Eastman’s Science
in the Summer enrichment program in conjunction with the Scott County (Virginia) Schools. The program ran for fourteen summers serving over two thousand youngsters and received the Gustav Ohaus Award for creative science programs from the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA). He also designed the popular Eastman Discovery Lab at the Hands-On Regional Museum in Johnson City, Tennessee.
Redmond is a recipient of the Presidential Award for Excellence in Secondary Science Teaching, the National Catalyst Award for Excellence in Chemistry Teaching, the Tennessee Academy of Science Outstanding Science Teachers Award and is listed in the first edition of Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers--nominated by former students. He has served on the board of directors of the Tennessee Science Teachers Association, the manuscript review panel for Science Scope magazine and the NSTA national laboratory safety committee.
His Energyport Project which involved students in solving the energy problems of an imaginary city earned the STAR Award from NSTA. The project was published and presented at an international science educators’ conference. He has authored numerous science articles / grants and has conducted science teacher workshops in several states and Canada.
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| Ms. Angela Haga |
Ms. Angela Haga
Executive Secretary
Angela serves as the Executive Secretary for the Center of Excellence in Mathematics and Science Education. She is also the Assistant Director for the Tennessee Governor's School for Scientific Models and Data Analysis here at E.T.S.U. She is a native of the Southwest Virginia area, and currently resides with her two daughters in Bristol, TN. Angela is a graduate of Honaker High School in Honaker, Va and brings many skills to her new position. She has a wide array of work experience, including: administrative assistant, rental car manager, substitute teacher, finance specialist, customer service associate, executive administrative assistant, and executive secretary. Her hobbies include: crafting, interior decorating, gardening, reading, cooking, and tennis.