Newsletter January 2019
JANUARY 30, 2019
Dear Members,
Your Board of Directors would like to thank you for support of TSS through your membership and participation during 2018.
We hope you have great things planned for 2019 and that those plans include TSS. Here are our plans for the upcoming year:
- We are looking forward to a stellar Horizons Speaker Series! Purchase your tickets online and use your membership for a discounted ticket price! This year’s speakers have been invited to extend their presence in Tallahassee to include classroom visits, thus engaging the K-12 community in their science. We are currently working to arrange those visits. TSS is committed to bringing opportunities to experience science in venues that reach the larger Tallahassee community.
- During 2018, we contributed to a summer science camp with ReThink Energy Florida for middle-school students from public housing facilities. We would like to do more in 2019! The disparity in science enrichment opportunities between neighborhoods in Tallahassee can be alleviated through other such targeted efforts with your support. TSS is committed to making a difference in our community through science education initiatives. If you are interested in this effort, please consider making a contribution to TSS at one of our higher donation levels.
- The successful field trip series lead by Board Member Dana Bryan will continue. There is a wealth of opportunities to experience science in a variety of settings – fossil beds, wetlands, research labs, power plants, and archaeological sites. TSS Board Members have sought out interesting destinations for a broad range of activities. We welcome your ideas for new field trips!
- We are developing partnerships with other organizations throughout the Tallahassee community to create links and inform TSS members of other opportunities for science-related experiences. Is there an organization you would like to see us partner with? Contact us with your thoughts at tallysci.org!
- We need to boost our membership from 165 to 200. We are shy of the membership we need to become an affiliate of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). This affiliation would add to our visibility in scientific circles and enable us to identify scientists that we could invite to Tallahassee for our Horizons Speaker Series. Please share news of TSS with friends and family and consider giving a gift membership to someone who would enjoy participating in our organization.
- Consider volunteering with TSS and becoming an active member. We have lots of opportunities for you to become involved. We need help:
- organizing events such as our Horizons Series
- grant-writing and fund-raising
- helping at tabling events where we promote TSS
- helping with social media and other forms of communication
- serving as a science fair judge
Carol, as a TSS board member is continuing her life-long interest in science and science education. After receiving her BS in Chemistry from Youngstown State University and MS from Florida State University in Science Education, She taught chemistry for 35 years, first at Godby High School and then Tallahassee Community College (TCC). At TCC, she also served as science program chair and was an active participant in TCC’s science student mentor program (STEM Stars).
The Tallahassee Scientific Society announces the award of their 2019 Gold Medal to Dr. Laura Greene, Chief Scientist at the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory. The Society’s Gold Medal, established in 2004, is bestowed annually on a scientist or scholar selected from the Tallahassee community whose career achievements in science or mathematics, and contributions to science education and outreach, are deemed exemplary.
Mabry specializes in earth science and promoting scientific literacy. She earned her Ph.D. in Geological Sciences from FSU, with her research at the MagLab, while serving as a NSF GK12 Fellow, working in public school classrooms. Mabry has also enjoyed working at the Florida Geological Survey, the Florida Center for STEM at FSU, and teaching earth science for seven years at TCC.
Yvonne worked in the Public Health Laboratory in Jacksonville and then as Bureau Chief in the Food Safety Laboratory at the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. After retirement from the State of Florida, a move to Denver, she is now back to Tallahassee. Yvonne works with the Association of Public Health Laboratories and the Association of Food and Drug Officials. She has a BS Biology from FSU and MS Community Health from UNF.
Tangy is a cardiac physiologist and Instructor in the sciences at Florida A&M University and Tallahassee Community College. One of her life goals is to offer an academic advantage to Middle and High Schoolers, and as a result she is the founder of the non-profit organization, Skolier Institute Summer Camp, Inc. She prides herself in mentoring, educating, and propelling scholars to higher levels. She enjoys reading and engaging outdoor activities with family.
Bill is a retired invertebrate biologist. He studied parasitology and genetics at the Florida State University, where his graduate studies focused on the genetics of digenetic trematodes. After graduating he spent 32 years as a marine fisheries manager with the state of Florida and federal fishery management councils. He has two grown children and has resided in Tallahassee since 1970. His interests include world history, paleontology, evolution, music, cycling, and kayaking.
Kerry brings a background of science teaching, training, research, and community outreach to the Board of Tallahassee Scientific Society. She presently teaches biology at Thomas University and serves on the Tallahassee Science Festival Board. In her professional career, she has worked to communicate complex concepts in science to a diverse range of students, from K-12 through seniors.
Chris earned a degree in Meteorology from FSU in 1995 and began teaching Physics, Physical, and Earth/Space Science at Godby High School, moving to Chiles High School in 2000. In 2008, Chris joined a team creating science assessments for Florida, then becoming the Mathematics and Science Coordinator while also overseeing the development of Florida’s state-wide Mathematics and Science assessments. Chris is the Instructional Certification Specialist for Leon County Schools and oversees the Beginning Teacher Program.
Tony is a Professor Emeritus of Computer Science from Southeast Missouri State University and retired Professor of Chemistry from Stephan F. Austin State University (TX). He is a physical / computational chemist who earned his B.S. in chemistry and mathematics from Marquette University and Ph.D. in physical chemistry from the Pennsylvania State University. 
George taught middle and high school in Louisville, Ky before becoming a faculty member in science education at FSU in 1967 where he retired with the rank of Professor Emeritus in 2001. His work, in addition to teaching, included curriculum development that evolved from print materials to multimedia. His projects have been used broadly in the US and internationally. 
Dana served for 30 years in the Florida Park Service, mostly as the state-wide chief biologist. Dana earned an MS in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from FSU. He is an authority on the limpkin, the snail-eating wading bird, about which he authored several scientific accounts. Dana has been active on boards and as an officer for Florida Audubon Society, Apalachee Audubon Society, Birdsong Nature Center, and the St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge Association.