Teacher of the Year -- awarded by American Association of Petroleum Geologists

This is a pretty decent award, and it goes to a teacher who has taught earth science specifically as it relates to natural resources. See below.



Applications and nominations are being accepted for the American Association of Petroleum Geologists 2015 Teacher of the Year (TOTY) Award until December 1, 2014. The TOTY award, given by the American Association for Petroleum Geologists (AAPG) Foundation, will once again be granted to a K-12 teacher within the United States who has demonstrated outstanding leadership in the field of geoscience education. Six teachers across the country will be identified as finalists, each from one of six U.S. geographic regions (Pacific, Rocky Mountain, Mid-Continent, Southwest, Gulf Coast, and Eastern). The regional award, presented by AAPG-Eastern Section and the AAPG Foundation is $1,500.


All applicants must adhere to the following requirements in order to be considered for the TOTY:
o Minimum of 3 years full-time U.S. teaching experience at any K-12 level.
o Teaching at least one unit per year on natural resources. Natural resources are defined as earth materials used by civilizations past and present such as:
o Organic materials such as petroleum, natural gas, coal and oil shale.
o Inorganic substances found in the Earth such as mineral ores, building stone and aggregate.
o Energy resources from the Earth such as geothermal energy.
o Teaching should include the scientific study of these resources, their origin, discovery, extraction, and historic and present use. It should also include the preservation of the environment, reclamation, the conservation of resources, and the use of earth science knowledge in decision-making.


After regional winners are named, the Foundation’s TOTY Committee will convene to pick the final winner of the 2015 Teacher of the Year Award. The National TOTY winner will receive a $6,000 award which will be presented to the individual at the AAPG Annual Convention and Exhibition (ACE) in Denver, Colorado, May 2015. The award includes $3,000 for school use under the teacher’s supervision for educational purposes and $3,000 for personal use by the teacher. The winner will also receive an expense paid trip for two to ACE to receive the award. Check out the link below for important information about guidelines, deadlines, how to nominate and/or apply! Application deadline is December 1, 2014.

Visit this link to nominate or apply today: http://foundation.aapg.org/programs/toty/index.cfm