Anacapa School Science Teacher Awarded Stanford Fellowship

Megan Nesland will study effects of climate change

March 20, 2012  —  Santa Barbara, Calif.

Megan Nesland, a science teacher at Anacapa School, was recently awarded the 2012 Stanford University Climate Education Fellowship, in connection with the Industry Initiatives for Science and Math Education program (IISME). The fellowship, awarded to one teacher each year, aims to connect science education to current science research and encourage the development of meaningful and relevant science curriculum.

Nesland, a graduate of Stanford’s undergraduate and graduate schools herself, will spend this summer in the laboratory at Stanford studying the metabolism of soil microbes in order to help determine how climate change will affect the release of CO₂ from soils. She will return to Anacapa in the fall with crucial insights into the forefront of climate science to share with the Anacapa community.

“I am honored to have been recognized by the committee,” said Nesland. “It will be exciting to bring back this cutting-edge research experience to my high school students.”

IISME is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving education. Its mission is to help teachers prepare students to be productive and competitive in an increasingly technical world. Its programs develop industry-education partnerships that give teachers hands-on professional development experiences in industry and university settings. These experiences encourage teachers to transform teaching and learning in their classrooms and schools.

Anacapa School is an independent, co-educational, WASC–accredited, college preparatory day school for students in grades 7-12. Founded in 1981 by Headmaster Gordon Sichi, Anacapa enjoys the best student-teacher ratio of any school, public or private, in Santa Barbara at its historic campus located in the heart of the Santa Barbara civic center.