March 4, 2024 |
Photo – Lesley Urasky – Courtesy Saratoga Middle High School
A Saratoga Middle High School science teacher has been honored with a national geosciences award.
Saratoga teacher Lesley Urasky has been chosen as the winner of the 2024 Dr. Edward C. Roy Jr. Award for Excellence in K through 8 Earth Science Teaching by the American Geosciences Institute.
Urasky, who teaches science at the Saratoga Middle High School, said that Dr. Edward C. Roy Jr. was a geoscientist and teacher who made significant contributions to Earth science education. After Dr. Roy’s passed in 2007, the American Geosciences Institute established the award to honor science teachers who encourage students to study Earth sciences, Urasky said.
Only one geosciences teacher is chosen to receive the Dr. Edward C. Roy Jr. Award each year.
Urasky has been a teacher for 26 years. The science educator said she fell in love with the landscape of south-central Wyoming and decided to study for a degree in geology.
After earning her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in geology from the University of Wyoming, Urasky took a job conducting geological surveys for the mineral extraction industry.
Urasky said she focuses on phenomenon-based teaching styles that engage young people and generate an interest in Earth sciences. The science teacher said after submitting an application and a lesson plan to the American Geosciences Institute, she was selected as the winner of the 2024 Dr. Edward C. Roy Jr. Award. Urasky said her lesson plan on how the moon affected Native American and Aboriginal peoples won her the nationally recognized honor.
Urasky said among other practices, native cultures used the phases of the moon as a type of calendar.
As the winner of the Dr. Edward C. Roy Jr. Award, Urasky said will receive $2,500 from the American Geosciences Institute.
Urasky also will be given a grant of up to $1,500 to attend the National Science Teaching Association National Conference in Denver, Colorado. On top of all that, Urasky said she and the Saratoga Middle High School will receive individual plaques of recognition.
Urasky said winning the geosciences award has also brought her name to the attention of the United States Geological Survey. The geoscience teacher said she and her students have been offered a place on a helicopter-based geology study this summer.
The USGS uses instruments on the helicopter to measure variations in the Earth’s natural magnetic field and natural low-level radiation created by different rock types. The information collected during the study will help researchers develop three dimensional geologic maps of the area.
Since her lesson plan focuses on the moon, Urasky said she is excited for next month’s total solar eclipse. The geoscience teacher said she’ll be traveling to Texas to be in the eclipse’s path of annularity, or the place where the eclipse is most visible.
