Lincoln Public Schools teacher David Hartman was named a 2011 winner of the prestigious Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching, awarded on June 11 by President Obama. Hartman, chair of the mathematics department at Lincoln Southwest High School, earned his Ph.D. from UNL in 2010. This summer, he taught two graduate courses for UNL's Department of Teaching, Learning and Teacher Education. One was part of the innovative MAmt program that is educating a new generation of teachers, and the other was offered through the NMSSI.
Ninety-six other mathematics and science teachers were recipients of the award. Joan Christen of Beatrice won the science award for Nebraska. The educators will receive their awards in Washington, D.C., in late June. Winners of this Presidential honor receive a $10,000 award from the National Science Foundation to be used at their discretion.
The Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching is awarded annually to outstanding K-12 science and mathematics teachers from across the country. The winners are selected by a panel of distinguished scientists, mathematicians, and educators following an initial selection process done at the state level. Each year the award alternates between teachers teaching kindergarten through 6th grade and those teaching 7th through 12th grades. The 2011 awardees named June 11, 2012, teach grades 7-12.
President Obama has committed to strengthening science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education and preparing 100,000 effective science and mathematics teachers over the next decade. These commitments build on the President’s “Educate to Innovate” campaign, which has attracted more than $700 million in donations and in-kind support from corporations, philanthropies, service organizations, and others to help bolster science and technology education in the classroom.
"America's success in the 21st century depends on our ability to educate our children, give our workers the skills they need, and embrace technological change. That starts with the men and women in front of our classrooms. These teachers are the best of the best, and they stand as excellent examples of the kind of leadership we need in order to train the next generation of innovators and help this country get ahead," said President Obama in a White House press release.