I am 29 years old and have been teaching science for seven years at Central Park Middle School, a NASA Explorer School in New York. In 2005, I was Teacher of the Year for my district of 700 teachers. I received my BS and MS from the College of Saint Rose in Albany, New York where I was on scholarship for academics, soccer and track at the Division II level. I just received my National Board Teaching Certification in Early Adolescence Science Ages 11-15. I have worked extensively with the Smithsonian/National Academies helping to develop Science Technology for Children/Middle School units. I spend part of my summers doing professional development with my school district and NASA. One of the most exciting opportunities I had was when I went to the Jet Propulsion Lab in California to study robotics and the Mars missions. I have research the History of Winter in Lake Placid, New York looking at ice and snow samples. I have taken five students to Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia to launch an Orion Sounding Rocket with our experiment on it. I have gone to Space Camp in Canada and Alabama. In Belize I researched sea-turtles, mangroves, sea grasses, and coral reefs with the University of Belize, Texas A & M and the Smithsonian. I organize a yearly student exchange program with a sister NASA Explorer School in Massachusetts. My passions are being with my family and friends, traveling, teaching science, learning, playing soccer, and enjoying the outdoors whether it is biking, hiking, swimming, kayaking, or snowshoeing.

dhartkern@yahoo.com