US Science teacher Karissa Baker was recently honored with the Seagate Excellence in Science Mentoring Award as part of the 86th annual Minnesota State Science and Engineering Fair. The Minnesota Academy of Science hosted the fair on Mar. 24. Baker received the award at the Mar. 26 ceremony, where SPA student-scientists additionally collected numerous accolades. “I think the primary indicator of how well she does, with respect to her peers, is the success of SPA students at these competitions,” junior Rishi Bhargava said. “Without her, none of us would be able to make it this far in science competitions.”

This award, named after its sponsor, Seagate Technology, honors a standout STEM educator who finds creative ways to grow students’ interest in scientific research and study. There are two categories: one for an educator in their first 10 years of teaching, and one for 10-plus years, which Baker qualifies for. Baker teaches Physics 9 and Advanced Science Research (ASR), the latter providing ample opportunity for guiding student scientists through their journey of investigation and discovery.

“Ms. Baker is a really good mentor because she’s super experienced and knows everything. So she’s the perfect person to ask questions,” junior Humza Murad said.

“I think her experience with ASR and the science fair, in general, has been a huge asset,” junior William Richardson said. “I mean, for any question that I or another student have had, we’ve been able to go to Ms. Baker and she’s been able to either reach out to someone from science fair to answer it, or she’s just known the answer already, which has been great. She’s also amazing at helping us plan scientific trials and scientific experiments.”

Students, parents, and school staff nominate teachers for this award. US Science teacher and Director of Computer Science and Engineering Kate Lockwood took the initiative to nominate Baker. “She rallied colleagues, teachers, students and even some parents to write letters,” Baker said. According to an article published by the Minnesota Academy of Science, one individual nominating Baker said that she “has been instrumental in nurturing our students through their science research experiences. [Baker] has built the curriculum of all of her classes around students discovering the information for themselves.”

However, until she got the news, Baker was yet to learn that she was even in the running. “I did not know that I was up for the award,” she said, describing her reaction as both “surprised” and “honored.”

Award recipients receive a trophy, Seagate hard drive and two cash prizes of $1,000 each: one for personal use and one for their school’s respective science program, which Baker has revealed will probably be used next year at the start of new projects.