NMI science teacher gets $10K grant from Toyota

At a time when education is receiving unprecedented attention from the nation’s capital, Toyota is helping change the face of education one town at a time.

Via the Toyota TAPESTRY program, the company is rewarding educators who have demonstrated excellence, creatively and vision in their approach to teaching environmental and physical science with grants to fund innovative classroom projects.

At the top of this year’s winners list is Saipan. CNMI science teacher Marie Pierre Lamkin has been awarded Toyota TAPESTRY grant of nearly $10,000 for her project titled, “Study and Repopulation of Saipan’s Inter-tidal Zone and Coral Reef.”

Toyota TAPESTRY, sponsored by Toyota Motor Sales, USA Inc. and administered by the National Science Teachers Association, has become the largest K-12 science teacher grant program in the nation.

Now on its eleventh year, TAPESTRY has awarded nearly $4.5 million to educators from all 50 states, including Washington DC, as well as the US territories of the Virgin Islands and Northern Marianas.

It is clear that student involvement in the sciences is more important than ever as technology and research increasingly focus on such important issues as the environment, energy, medicine, and space exploration.

Taking an active role in promoting the continued development of America’s future scientists, Toyota seeks to inspire students with the wonders of science.

“Toyota is a company founded in science innovation,” explains Irv Miller, TMS group vice president of external affairs. “Since excitement is one of the keys to innovative thinking, we’re extremely proud to recognize and support these teachers as they help hundreds of students make a possible connection with science.”

Ms. Lamkin has been teaching French and science at the Saipan International School for six years. She is one of 50 winners chosen from an entry pool of hundreds of talented educators.

Her proposed project will examine the differences between Saipan and Managaha. While studying living organisms and exploring the ocean features, students will examine the differences in marine life around the two islands.

During the project, students will learn about the islands formation, the history, and the impact today’s society has left on the zones. Working in teams, they will compare water quality, sand type, and location on sea or ocean.

In addition to studying the environment, they will study organisms with the classroom. They will research the indigenous species of both islands, as they study and grow a series of organisms, eventually reintroducing them into a natural environment and documenting their survival rate and interaction with existing species.

The final unit of this project will be a forum meeting. Here students will reach out to the greater community as they present their findings, emphasizing the importance of the preserving the local inter-tidal and reef species.

Finally, they will produce in a web page that will be accessible for all who are interested in examining the results of the project.

By involving students in a hands-on study of science that is relevant to their local environment, it is anticipated that students will become involved and excited about science as it can be applied in their own lives. Toyota TAPESTRY is proud to help make that happen.