MASON SCIENCE  TEACHING FELLOWSHIP IS OPEN!

Earn a $1000 towards the cost of your science teacher education!

Submit your application by completing the form below. Questions can be emailed to the Chair of the committee Dr. Mickie Powell (mpowell@uab.edu).

Recognizing the need for promoting superior science teaching at all levels, the Alabama Academy of Science has established an award to encourage scientifically trained students to enter the teaching profession. 

The William H. Mason Fellowship is $1000 for one year (non-renewable) to cover the cost of tuition and is tenable at any institution in the state of Alabama offering a teacher certification program. 

Awardees may choose to specialize in kindergarten through the 12th grade. Selection will be based on the extent to which the applicant shows promise for incorporating quality science instruction in his or her classroom.

ELIGIBILITY

Students who will have earned a B.S. or B.A. degree by the summer of 2023 are invited to apply for a William H. Mason Fellowship. Applicants must meet the following requirements:

  • Have received the equivalent of a minor or major in a natural science.
  • Be applicants for a program (such as the alternative class A certification*) leading to certification in teaching at any level K-12. 

Recipients will be required to teach in the state of Alabama for at least one year following the completion of the degree program for which the award is given.

*ALTERNATIVE CLASS A CERTIFICATION PROGRAM

The non-traditional Class A program is designed to offer individuals possessing a bachelor’s degree outside of education the opportunity to earn a master’s degree in education with Class A certification. Further information, admission requirements, and application procedures can be obtained from education departmental offices at Alabama colleges and universities offering this special certification program.

APPLY HERE!: https://www.alabamaacademyofscience.org/mason-science-teaching-fellowship/

Alabama Junior Academy of Science/Gorgas Competition Online a Success!

On Friday, March 20, 2020, the AJAS/Gorgas Paper Reading Competitions were held successfully in a live, online format using Zoom video conferencing. Thank you to all the judges and participants! The Meeting was hosted by Dr. Jack Shelley-Tremblay from the University of South Alabama., and organized by Dr. Ellen Buckner of Samford University and Dr. Mark Jones of Auburn Middle School.

Gorgas Scholarship Competition 

A Program of the Administered by the Alabama Power Foundation Alabama Academy of Science March 20, 2020 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

Today the Gorgas Scholarship Committee announced the rankings of the finalists of the 2020 Alabama Science Scholar Search. The final competition was held as the first Virtual Competition after cancellation of the 97th Annual Meeting of the Alabama Academy of Science at Alabama A & M University, Normal, AL, originally scheduled for March 19-20, 2020. 

The winner of the first-place tuition grant of $4000 was: 

Gullapalli, Abhinav, Hoover High School, Teacher-Sponsor: Janet Ort 

Abhinav Gullapalli, 1st Place Gorgas

First alternate and winner of a tuition grant of $3000 was: 

Banerjee, Eesha, Alabama School of Fine Arts, Teacher-Sponsor: Rebecca Thrash 

Second alternate and winner of a tuition grant of $2000 was: 

Dudeck, Sophie, Alabama School of Fine Arts, Teacher-Sponsor: Rebecca Thrash 

Third alternate and winner of a tuition grant of $1500 was: 

Silwal, Isabel, Alabama School of Fine Arts, Teacher-Sponsor: Rebecca Thrash 

Fourth alternate and winner of a tuition grant of $1000 was: 

Sridhar, Nikitha, Auburn High School, Teacher-Sponsor: Mark Jones 

Unranked Finalists: 

Allred, Addison, Murphy High School, Teacher-Sponsor: Julie Prerost 

Badewa, Tosin, Alabama School of Fine Arts, Teacher-Sponsor: Rebecca Thrash 

George, Rachael, Alabama School of Fine Arts, Teacher-Sponsor: Rebecca Thrash 

Glidewell, Jacob, Alabama School of Fine Arts, Teacher-Sponsor: Rebecca Thrash 

Hill, Elizabeth, Fairhope High School, Teacher-Sponsor: Mary Stuart 

Reeves, Sydney, Wetumpka High School, Teacher-Sponsor: Virginia Vilardi 

Singleton, Anna Lei, Wetumpka High School, Teacher-Sponsor: Virginia Vilardi 

Tessier, Jon, Wetumpka High School, Teacher-Sponsor: Virginia Vilardi 

The rankings were established by a panel of judges consisting of department heads, deans and professors from many of the leading universities and industries in Alabama. Winners and finalists in the Gorgas Contest receive offers of tuition scholarships to colleges and universities in Alabama for the study of science. The Gorgas Scholarship Program is named for General William Crawford Gorgas, the Alabama physician who conquered yellow fever in the Panama Canal Zone and later became the Surgeon General of the United States Army. The purposes of the Gorgas competition are to promote interest in science and to aid in the education of promising students. 

Information on the annual competition and awards may be found on the website at www.GorgasScholar.org. For further information, contact Ellen Buckner, PhD, RN, CNE, AE- C, Chairman, Gorgas Scholarship Competition, ellen.buckner@samford.edu OR ebbuckner@gmail.com, or by phone (205) 910-9877, (205) 726-2092. 

Alabama Junior Academy of Science

Alabama Junior Academy of Science 2020 Paper Reading Competition

Affiliated with the National Junior Science and Humanities Symposium (JSHS)

Virtual Statewide Competition, March 20, 2020.

AJAS winners are listed below in order to participate at JSHS National Competition.

1st Place Catherine Kung, Bioinspired Flexible Multisensory Artificial Skin, Indian Springs School, Pelham, Christina Tetzlaff (Sponsor-Teacher) [Engineering/Mathematics]
2nd Place Aniket Pant, Plasmonic and Dielectric Nanostructures:  Distinguishing Size, Material, and Dielectric Environment via Machine Learning, Jefferson County International Baccalaureate, Irondale, Kelly Breland (Sponsor-Teacher) [Physical Science]
3rd Place Tori Jones, The Bees Knees Pesticides: Saving the Bees One Bee Friendly Pesticide at a Time, Wetumpka High School, Wetumpka, Virginia Vilardi (Sponsor-Teacher) [Environmental Science]
4th Place Rachael George, Loss of Hippocampal Day-Time Inhibition in Alzheimer’s Disease and its Contribution to Cognitive Impairment and Amyloid-β Pathogenesis, Alabama School of Fine Arts, Birmingham, Rebecca Thrash (Sponsor-Teacher)[Medicine & Health]
5th Place Nikhita Mudium, Selection of E. coli Mutants for Induction and Expression of tna Operon, James Clemens High School, Madison,  Leah McRae (Sponsor-Teacher) [Life Sciences]
Catherine Kung. 1st Place AJAS

Winners were selected in categories of Engineering and Mathematics, Medicine and Health, Environmental Sciences, Life Sciences, and Physical Sciences and then competed head to head for final ranking. We would like to thank the multi-disciplinary judges who evaluated these students at local and state levels. Thanks too to the numerous teacher-sponsors who have supported these students in their academic progress. The winners will participate in national paper reading at the 58th National JSHS, possibly to be held virtually this year. 

Students who would like to enter the 2020-2021 competition are encouraged to view the resources at the AJAS Website at alabamajunioracademyofscience.org 

Mark T Jones, PhD, Nationally Certified

ACS B Science Olympiad Coordinator and Community Founder

Alabama Junior Academy of Science State Director

Phone: Work 3348874970; Cell 3344443099

Position statement to our Alabama legislators declaring our support of the Alabama Science in Motion (ASIM) Program

Please read the Official AAS Position statement sent to the Alabama State Legislators in support of the Alabama Science in Motion (ASIM) Program!

Contact your District’s Representative and Senator by June 1, 2017 and send them this position statement. You can obtain your legislators contact information by visiting the following websites:

Click on the name of your Representative at http://www.legislature.state.al.us/aliswww/ISD/House/ALRepsbyDistrict.aspx

And, click on the name of your Senator at http://www.legislature.state.al.us/aliswww/ISD/Senate/ALSenatorsbyDistrict.aspx

Alabama Academy and Gorgas Winners for 2017!

Congratulations Winners of this years competitions!

AAS Student Competition

[pdf-embedder url=”https://www.alabamaacademyofscience.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Competition-Winners-Tabulated.pdf” title=”Competition Winners Tabulated”]


Gorgas Finalists!

L->R Standing: Davina Ho, Leila Yang, Hemant Srivastava, Noel Dudeck, Skandan Ananthasekar, Ethan Kinnaird, Tyler Huang, Margaret Knight
L->R Seated: Summer Vo, Rupa Palanki, Varsha Sridhar, and Tomeka Frieson