The first Salon put on by TEDxPSU this year is entitled Educate & Innovate.

The State Theatre
130 West College Ave
State College, Pennsylvania, 16801
United States

Bill Carlsen

After earning a a bachelor’s degree in biology from Dartmouth College, Bill Carlsen took eclectic work experiences in dairy farming, firefighting, and marine biology and became… a high school science teacher. Later earning a Ph.D. at Stanford in the Design and Evaluation of Educational Programs, he joined the education faculty at Cornell University in 1987. Building on research funded by NSF and other sources, Bill coauthored four textbooks on engaging children in authentic scientific research, then moved to Penn State University in 2000. He was the founding director of Penn State’s Center for Science and the Schools (CSATS), which remains committed to the goal of connecting scientists and engineers with K-12 schools in ways that are “mutually beneficial and sustainable.” In 2010, Prof. Carlsen and his wife, WPSU radio producer Cynthia Berger, bought a 13 ton steel-hulled canal boat and privately retrofitted it as a hybrid solar electric vehicle. They took a leave from their jobs and left on a year-long 6000-mile “sustainable” circumnavigation of eastern North America. Their experiences on that trip were the nucleus for this presentation.

J.J. Thomchick

Born and raised in State College, PA, he graduated State College Area High School with the class of 2008 with hopes to pursue a career as a professional musician. After graduating summa cum laude with a degree in Guitar Performance from Berklee College of Music in May 2011, he continues to live in Boston where he works towards building his professional music career. At 21 years of age, J.J. is a performing and recording musician as well as a music educator, giving private guitar lessons and having taught at Berklee. He plays with a few different groups in the Boston Area, collaborating with outstanding musicians from all over the world, while working on his own solo projects. ”Education has played a major role in my musical development; I am very thankful for the opportunities I was given in high school and college, and also for the amazing teachers and friends who share the same passion and drive to excel.”

Jacqui Wagner

Jacqui Wagner is a veteran Biology teacher of 26 years at Penns Valley High School, currently serving as the chairperson for the Science department as well. In 2011, Jacqui was the recipient of the “Apple Award” from the National State Teacher of the Year Organization. Additionally she was selected as a Semifinalist for “2012 Pennsylvania Teacher of the Year”. Jacqui has been nominated by her students on several different occasions for “Who’s Who Among America’s High School Teachers” and received recognition in WPSX’s “Great Teachers Making a Difference”. Jacqui’s current endeavor includes candidacy for National Board Professional Certification in Science for Adolescence and Young Adulthood. She enjoys bicycling, camping, kayaking and insect collecting. Jacqui is a mother of a 23 year old son and resides with her partner in McVeytown, PA.

Leah Bug

Leah Bug brings over twenty years of education experience to the Center for Sciences and the Schools team. After receiving a B.S. in Elementary Education from Montana State University, she taught in Idaho for fourteen years. During this time, she taught every grade level from third through eighth grade, in addition to creating and implementing a multi-age classroom program and a technology education lab. During this time, she also achieved National Board Certification in Young Adolescence Social Studies, and earned a M.Ed. in Educational Leadership from Idaho State University. She left the classroom to work as an Aerospace Education Specialist, representing NASA in K-16 classrooms. She was also involved with the Educator Astronaut Program and was the NASA Headquarters Coordinator for the NASA Explorer School Program. She moved to Penn State to assume the position of Education Program Manager and then, Assistant Director at the Pennsylvania Space Grant Consortium. She joined CSATS in August 2009, where she works to build K-12/Penn State partnerships and design and implement STEM education outreach programs that incorporate reform-oriented teaching strategies.