Project Personnel

    Personnel     Project Director Dr. Germaine L. Taggart is an Assistant Professor in the College of Education at FHSU.  Her duties in the F.I.N.D.S. project include communicating with school district administration; selecting Advisory Council members and project participants; guiding the participation of the undergraduate student who will be working to support the project; presenting information on pedagogy at workshop and follow-up sessions; administering the grant funds; arranging for facilities; and presenting and publishing nationally to disseminate the lessons learned through this project..  Taggart will meet with project staff and the Advisory Council to develop the design then coordinate the project and workshop activities; assign preparation unit examples; decide who will instruct participants for each targeted area; plan for guidance of unit development and field-trial, and plan for support of participant inservice and KATS presentations. 

    Taggart has expertise in science and mathematics pedagogy, effective use of cooperative learning and authentic assessment strategies, curriculum development using national and state standards, and in peer-mentoring and clinical supervision.  She has been co-principal investigator for several successful grants, including a Texas Instrument Workshop grant, six Southwestern Bell classroom grants, and two NASA NOVA teacher preparation planning grants totaling $170,000.  Taggart is also a co-principal investigator for an NSF teacher preparation funding grant currently under review, has lead staff development activities with numerous school districts, has written and published two books and numerous articles, serves on the Kansas Association of Teachers of Science Board, is the Kansas Association of Teachers of Mathematics president; State Science Advisory Council, and Reading Specialist Re-certification Committee member.  She is a two-time state Presidential awardee.

    Dr. Paul Adams is an Associate Professor of Physics.  He has been a principal investigator for nine teacher enhancement projects.  He was awarded the Teacher/Innovator/Scholar of the Year award for 1998-99 at FHSU.  In addition to his successful teaching, he has published on science education issues related to technology usage in the classroom and developing inquiry-based and integrated teaching strategies.

    Gregory Liggett is the Assistant Director of the Sternberg Museum of Natural History.  He is a licensed professional geologist with the State of Kansas.  His knowledge of the history of the earth, paleontology and geology and his hands-on instructional style will enhance the knowledge of F.I.N.D.S. participants in the natural sciences. 

    Juliann (Julie) Bliese is a public school teachers at a Red Ribbon school, O’Loughlin Elementary, in Hays, KS.  She currently teachers in a K/1 looping classroom, but has extensive experience working with special needs children.  She has numerous awards to her credit including a Christa McAuliffe Fellowship, Presidential Awardee in the Teaching of Science, and a Fulbright Fellowship to Japan.  Julie teaches using a constructivist approach.  She has created many inquiry-based units for her students. 

    Travis W. Taggart is a web developer/programmer for  Nex-tech in Hays.  He developed the web site for the Museum as well as numerous other companies in the area and several departments at the University.  He is well-qualified to develop and maintain the site for the F.I.N.D.S. project.  He is also an accomplished herpetologist with a masters degree from Southeastern Louisiana University in molecular biology.  He is the current editor of The Kansas Herpetological Society  newsletter and Contemporary Herpetology, and he is the Curator of Herpetology at Sternberg Museum; therefore being amply qualified to teach the reptiles and amphibian component of natural science.  Vitae for project staff are found in Part VI.

    Mrs. Regi Wieland, FHEDC, will have an advisory role in the project as well as overseeing the responsibilities described in the Statement of Agreement with FHEDC. 

    Facilities and Equipment/Instructional Support      FHSU is the only state-supported four-year degree-granting institution in the western half of Kansas.  Its larger service area has caused the University to lead the state in the use of fiber optics to link preservice teachers with university faculty.  For this project, FHSU’s Virtual College will broadcast three ITV sessions to four interactive television sites in western Kansas for use during the project.  FHSU’s Technology Studies department will provide computer access to the class.  The Teacher Education Department will provide clerical support for the project, in particular, the organization and printing preparations for the proceedings journal.

    Sternberg Museum of Natural History is an exemplary museum housing some of the most famous paleontology collections in the United States.  The Museum typically conducts or offers space to University groups/faculty for workshops, classes, etc.  The Museum will be providing two classrooms for the project as well as opening the Museum to the teachers for touring, research, and  materials.  Cameron Liggett, Museum Educational Director, has pledged to provide her time to support the participants in specimen and materials location, planning for the units of study, and background information.  She is also in charge of the Discovery Room that will provide participants we numerous hands-on strategies and units for review.  The undergraduate preservice teacher paid for by this grant will assist Ms. Liggett as well as the project director in research, logistics, gathering materials, and unit construction. 

    The combination of FHSU’S strengths in teacher preparation and distance learning with the availability of the Sternberg Museum’s exhibits provides a unique opportunity that can be taken advantage of with the F.I.N.D.S. project, to the benefit of K-12 science education throughout the state. 

    FHEDC will provide assistance with recruitment, observation support during the field-trials, and dissemination efforts.  The center will also provide clerical assistance related to registering the participants of the workshop and credit availability. 

    The participating schools/districts will be asked to provide financial assistance for mileage and meals not covered in the grant.  They will also assure the project director that ample time for peer-mentoring, reflection and dissemination efforts will be allotted the team.  The schools/ districts are also required to provide computer/internet access to the teachers in the project.