I feel incredibly humbled to be selected as a recipient of the PAEMST award. Being an award winner allows me access to an amazing group of thinkers. Collaboration and dialogue are the drivers of progress, and being able to converse with the current and past winners will be a wonderful asset as I continue to grow as an educator. The PAEMST experience has broadened my horizons in ways I never thought possible.

Mason Kuhn Shell Rock, IA | K-6, Science, 2012

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

Mason Kuhn has taught fourth grade at Shell Rock Elementary for the last 5 years. He spent the previous 2 years teaching third grade at Washington Elementary in Charles City, IA. Before that, he spent 1 year teaching fourth grade mathematics and science at King Chavez Academies in San Diego, CA, and 5 years teaching fifth grade science at Eckert Intermediate School in Houston, TX. In addition to teaching, he has directed the Science Writing Heuristic Professional Learning Community in the Waverly-Shell Rock School District. For the last 5 years, Mason has organized and led the Shell Rock Elementary Science Club, an afterschool gathering of students who use inquiry to conduct science experiments. The annual culminating event has been the Shell Rock Science Fair, where students display project boards, receive awards, and have their picture taken for the local paper.  Mason has been the lead or contributing author of six articles published in peer-reviewed journals, most recently in the summer 2013 issue of "Science and Children." Mason has a B.S. in elementary education from Coe College, an M.S. in science education from Walden University, and an M.S. in special education from the University of North Dakota.  He is pursuing an Ed.D. in curriculum and instruction at the University of Northern Iowa. He is certified in elementary education (kindergarten through sixth grade).

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