KSTF Executive Director Nicole Gillespie Appointed to BSCS Board of Directors

MOORESTOWN, N.J., Feb. 3, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Knowles Science Teaching Foundation (KSTF) today announced that Nicole Gillespie, Executive Director, was appointed to a three-year term on the Board of Directors of BSCS, effective Jan 1, 2015. BSCS, a non-profit curriculum study, is committed to transforming science teaching and learning through research and development that strengthens learning environments and inspires a global community of scientifically literate citizens. The BSCS Board of Directors is composed of educators, educational researchers, scientists, and business leaders from across the country. BSCS board members take an active leadership role in the organization.

As Executive Director, Gillespie leads KSTF in its efforts to strengthen the teaching profession by empowering teachers to become agents of educational improvement. Previously, she directed the foundation's Teaching Fellows Program, a five-year program that supports the development of leadership capacity in beginning high school science and mathematics teachers. Since joining KSTF in 2004, Gillespie has played an important role in developing the foundation's key programs, including its Research & Evaluation and Senior Fellows Programs.

"I am honored to be invited to serve on the board of BSCS," Gillespie said. "The missions, values and commitments of KSTF and BSCS are deeply aligned and I anticipate that my service as a board member will benefit KSTF as much I hope it will benefit BSCS."

Gillespie holds a BS in mechanical engineering with a minor in Russian from the United States Naval Academy, an MS in physics from the University of Washington and a PhD in science education from the University of California at Berkeley. She was awarded the 2004 Spencer Dissertation Fellowship for her research on collaborative argumentation and model-based reasoning among physics students.

She has given presentations on supporting and sustaining beginning STEM teachers and developing teachers as leaders to the National Association of Research in Science Teaching, the American Physical Society, the American Chemical Society and the National Science Teachers Association, among others. Gillespie is on the advisory boards of the Maine Physical Sciences Partnership and a joint project of the National Writing Project (NWP) and the Association of Science‐Technology Centers (ASTC) designed to integrate science and literacy.

About KSTF            
                                                                                                                                    
The Knowles Science Teaching Foundation (KSTF) was established by Janet H. and C. Harry Knowles in 1999 to increase the number of high quality high school science and mathematics teachers and ultimately, improve math and science education in the United States. The KSTF Teaching Fellows Program, the Foundation's signature program, awards exceptional young men and women with five-year, early-career Fellowships, empowering them to become primary agents of educational improvement. For more information, visit www.kstf.org.