Regional Science and Engineering Fair
Please consider serving as a judge for the annual Capital Regional Science and Engineering Fair on
Friday, February 3, 2017. Winners of high school or middle school science fairs in Jefferson, Leon or Wakulla counties will compete at the Capital Regional Science and Engineering Fair at the
Donald L. Tucker Civic Center located at 505 W. Pensacola Street, Tallahassee, Florida. We need more than 200 judges to evaluate student projects, so your help is very important for a successful fair.
Regular Judging will take place from 8:00 a.m. until 11:30 a.m. on Friday, February 3, 2017 followed by Overall Judging from 12:00 p.m. until 2:30 p.m. Students who win the Capital Regional Science and Engineering Fair can proceed to state competition. Some students may even continue further to international competitions.
If you are interested in judging, please complete the online judge registration form
here by
Friday, January 20, 2017. Each project will compete in a specific category so we need you to select all categories you are qualified to judge on the registration form. The categories and their descriptions can be found on the judge registration web site above. Also, indicate whether you intend to stay for the
free lunch sponsored by local middle and high schools. Once you have successfully submitted your online form, you will receive a copy via email. If you have any problems, please contact Bill Turner at (850) 644-9828 or email him at
bturner@bio.fsu.edu.
Bill can also use some help with clerical and custodial effort for the Fair on Thursday and Friday, so if you want to support the Fair, but are not interested in judging, you can still be of great benefit by volunteering to help in other ways.
Horizons 2017
The Horizons 2017 series is coming together nicely and it will be a very educational and entertaining schedule. Go to the Society’s web site
www.tallysci.org to order tickets.
A change we have made in ticket sales this year is to offer family members 18 years of age and younger free admission when accompanied by adult admission tickets. Your board is attempting to present offerings that will appeal to young people in the hope that they will embrace science as they choose their educational options and careers.
The line-up of presenters for the Horizons 2017 series is presented at the end of this newsletter.
Mag Lab Open House
The annual open house at the FSU Mag Lab will be held February 25th, from 10 am to 3 pm. This is a fun event for approximately 8,000 visitors. The theme this year is “film” and the Lab staff have many interesting demonstrations associated with the theme and their work at the lab.
This year other venues at Innovation Park are participating in the open house. This will add to the festive nature and expanded experience to be enjoyed by the visitors.
Your Society has participated in tabling at this event. We have one or more interesting experiments on display at our table and usually get a large draw of visitors. If you would like to help with this event, contact Dr. Claudius Mundoma
cmundoma@fsu.edu 644-5147(w); 980-6666 (c). He can use your help for any length of time. You do not need to commit to the hours of the open house.
Tallahassee Science Festival
Plans are under way to host the STEM Science Festival in the fall of 2017. The Tallahassee Scientific Society will play a major role in the event along with several community partners. Your Society’s primary responsibility will be managing all requirements pertaining to participants at the festival. Participants are those displaying and tabling at the event. We are early in the planning stage so details on the event are limited. If you would like to help with this event, contact Shelly Hatton
shellyhatton@gmail.com; 850-661-3803.
2nd Saturday Science Lab
Your Society is continuing with the Science Lab outreach program in conjunction with the Leon County Public Library. Presenters are asked to provide a lecture and hands-on lab for teens at 2:00 pm each second Saturday of the month. We have had a variety of subjects presented from Robotics to the effect of river discharge on ocean currents. If you can make a presentation or know of someone who can, please get in contact with the coordinator of this project. Dr. Anthony Duben
ajduben@gmail.com
Bob Henderson
TSS President
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.