Stacy Clark-Thomas – National Stem Cell Foundation

Stacy’s Big Idea: Stacy created an iPad-based video lab for her students. Her students had access to iPads, special mounts built locally, and specialized software to do time lapse, stop motion and other forms of video and still imaging. Students used the equipment to collect data and create different video projects that were incorporated into modules being taught across the year.

The project culminated in a stop-motion claymation video that allowed Stacy’s students to be creative while incorporating important STEM principles such as the relationship between time and distance.

Interesting Facts: In her teaching career, Stacy has traveled all across Alaska mentoring struggling teachers in remote villages. Now, she teaches STEM inside Eielson Air Force Base near North Pole, Alaska.

In her own words: "I went out to a rural village to begin my career. Teaching in a small rural community in Alaska is anything but easy and I loved it. The premise was to use the knowledge and traditional skills of elders to teach the kids Western math. This led to further opportunities including piloting the Alaska statewide mentor program. I spent a year traveling to different villages to work with struggling teachers. This was all during my third year of teaching and mind you, I still felt like a rookie."

Stacy and fellow 2016 National STEM Scholar Santosh Zachariah at the National Science Teachers Association conference

Stacy Clark-Thomas from Ben Eielson Junior/Senior High School on Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska positions her rocket on the air compressor-powered launcher with help from Rico Tyler, a SKyTeach master teacher, Tuesday, June 7. Rico has taught the NSCF Scholars physical science activities each morning. (Photo by Sam Oldenburg)

Stacy at the National Science Teachers Association conference in 2016

On being a 2016 STEM Scholar: I don’t know if I can articulate how much the program has changed my world. The opportunity to work with Rico is amazing in helping me restructure what I’m doing, but the biggest thing was the nine other Scholars I had the opportunity to work with. It’s changed who I am and how I approach the classroom.”