Tri-City science teacher is a WA finalist for $10K national STEM ‘high honor’
A Southridge High School science teacher is among just four Washington state finalists for the Presidential Award for Excellence in Math and Science Teaching.
Rama Devagupta was recently named a state finalist by the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction.
Established by the 1983 U.S. Congress, the PAEMST program is among the “highest honors” bestowed to K-12 STEM teaching, according to OSPI.
It recognizes educators from across the country for their deep knowledge of the subjects they teach, as well as their ability to enable students to thrive in those fields of study.
“These outstanding educators are creating learning experiences guided by their students’ own curiosity about the world around them,” said Washington Superintendent Chris Reykdal in a prepared statement. “Engaging students with math and science in relatable, real-world ways cements their learning and prepares them for lifelong success.”
The National Science Foundation and White House will announce the national awardees at future date. Winners will travel to Washington, D.C., engage in professional learning experiences, receive presidential recognition and accept a $10,000 award.
Southridge High teacher
Devagupta has a Ph.D. in bio-organic chemistry from Texas A&M University. She is an artist, a freelance writer and has conducted scientific research at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland, Wash.
Before becoming a teacher, Devagupta was a stay-at-home mom with two kids in the Richland School District system. She spent her time as an education advocate, volunteering with PTOs and on instructional adoption committees.
In addition to teaching at Southridge, she’s also an adjunct at Columbia Basin College.
Devagupta also recently took part in a yearlong global learning fellowship through the NEA Foundation, which was capped with a trip to Peru in July 2022.
“In order to make science and math more culturally sustaining for students with diverse identities and experiences, it is important that we as teachers focus on making teaching relevant and relatable,” Devagupta said in an interview with Pass the Mic. “We can do this by forging strong community relationships. We can take our current lessons and modify them with student input. In my case, I can modify the standard strawberry DNA lab to an inquiry lab where students can choose to extract DNA from their favorite fruits.”
Devagupta said teachers and parents must continue to foster the innate joy of discovery students have for the world around them, including in mathematics and the sciences.
“Let us move away from the idea that science is limited to textbooks. Let us take them out into nature and practice, ‘I see. I think. I wonder,’” she said.
Devagupta and the other Washington finalists are among hundreds of 2023 state finalists from around the country. Each year, the president usually recognizes up to 108 teachers.
The state finalists are selected by a committee of peer educators, subject matter experts and other education stakeholders.
The national PAEMST committee will choose national awardees based on mastery of content, effective instructional approaches that support student learning, effective use of student assessments to guide learning, reflective practice and lifelong learning, and leadership and equity in education inside and outside the classroom.
The other Washington state finalists include Northwood Middle School science teacher Dave Gamon of Mead School District, Tumwater Middle School science teacher Anthony Harris and Robert Eagle Staff Middle School math teacher Sara Rubio of Seattle Public Schools.
This story was originally published May 22, 2023 at 12:55 PM.
