The Presidential Award is an honor. I am humbled to represent my school and our educational community. This honor bolsters my passion to bring the excitement of science to my students. I have been blessed to be surrounded, encouraged and challenged by those in the science community to bring this dynamic discipline, complete with its uncertainty, to my students. This award is not about one person but rather represents an entire community’s dedication to learning and sharing.

Katherine Lodes St. Louis, MO | 7-12, Science, 2017

The official biography below was current at the time of the award.

Katherine “Katie” Lodes has been an educator for 29 years. She currently teaches 9-10th-grade Honors Biology, 12th-grade Advanced Placement Biology, and 11-12th-grade Zoology at St. Joseph’s Academy where she has taught since 2002. Previously, she taught at Incarnate Word Academy for 12 years. Katie's passion is to bring the people and process of science to her students. She has mentored students to present their research at the International Ocean Science and American Geophysical Union conferences. Katie has also worked to bring programs such as the NSF-funded Mutant Millets, Planting Science, and Sci-I programs into her classroom. Her Advanced Placement Biology students have worked with grade schools to bring the ecology of monarch butterflies to life. Katie has presented at several conferences including the National Science Teachers Association, Ocean Sciences, National Marine Educators Association, Missouri Geographic Society and St. Louis’ Darwin Days. She has participated in the Education and Research: Testing Hypothesis summer workshops the past 15 years. Katie earned a B.S. in secondary education and a B.S. in animal science from the University of Missouri at Columbia. She also earned her M.A. in biology at Washington University, St. Louis. She is certified in 7-12th-grade biology.

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