DawnTessandore Highline High School biology and science teacher Dawn Tessandore (pictured above with two students) will spend the next two summers in research to support development of a malaria vaccine, the school district announced Monday (April 28). Tessandore will work jointly with Dr. Brandon Sack and Dr. Stefan Kappe at the Seattle Biomedical Research Institute to identify proteins that could lead to an effective vaccine. Tessandore’s work is funded through a $15,000 grant from the Partners in Science Program of the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust. The grant aims to improve science education in the Pacific Northwest. The primary goal of the program is to provide high school science teachers with opportunities to work at the cutting edge of science, help them develop new inquiry-based teaching strategies, and to encourage more students to pursue careers in science. “This opportunity will let me expand my science knowledge, especially in biology. I will be able to speak to my students about the knowledge and skills they will need to succeed to work in a research lab,” said Tessandore. “It will also allow me to meet scientists that will be able to mentor many of my students who are interested in STEM careers.” The grant was awarded through a competitive process. Applications were accepted from high school teachers and mentors from a five-state region. Only 23 grants were awarded to teachers this year. Following each summer of research, Tessandore will share her research at Partners in Science conferences in Vancouver B.C. and San Diego, also funded by the grant. Click here to learn more about the Partners in Science Program.]]>

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One reply on “Highline High Teacher to spend next two years researching for malaria vaccine”

  1. Extremely impressive! Congratulations; that’s a highly-competitive award.And thank you for going to such great lengths to help promote a love for science among your students. You’re doing them a great service in terms of critical thinking and skillsets that will serve them well in any future career.

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