KEARNEY – University of Nebraska at Kearney graduate Nicole Miller of Columbus is one of 213 teachers nationally to receive the prestigious Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching.
She will receive the award at a ceremony in Washington, D.C., on Thursday.
Miller was selected by a panel of distinguished scientists, mathematicians and educators following an initial selection process at the state level. She receives a ,000 award from the National Science Foundation.
Miller graduated in 2006 from UNK with a master’s degree in biology through the eCampus online program. She has taught in Nebraska for 17 years and currently teaches biology, human anatomy and physiology at Columbus Lakeview High School. Miller also is the Science Club sponsor and coaches a Science Olympiad team at Lakeview.
She has mentored students in independent science research projects, and those students have gone on to compete in regional, state and international science fairs. Miller is a member of the National Science Teachers Association and its state affiliate.
“I think that getting my master’s degree in biology really helped to make me a better biology teacher. I want to thank UNK for offering a program that allowed me to do that without a large amount of driving so that I could still have time to be a good teacher and parent,” Miller said. “The research skills and content knowledge that I learned in the distance master’s program still help me with the daily challenges of teaching high school students.”
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Writer: Todd Gottula, Director of Communications, 308.865.8454, gottulatm@unk.edu
