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GSSM Chemistry Instructor Receives National Siemens Award
February 24, 2008
Dr. Kurt Wagner, chemistry instructor at the South Carolina Governor's School for Science and Mathematics (GSSM), recently received a 2007-08 Siemens Award for Advanced Placement, recognizing his "exemplary teaching and dedication to his students and to the Advanced Placement (AP) Program." Dr. Wagner is one of only 50 teachers awarded and the only teacher from South Carolina to make the list.
Dr. Wagner has taught at GSSM for more than 14 years. In addition to teaching AP Chemistry, he also teaches AP Environmental Science, using his 90-acre tree farm as an occasional lab for students. He is actively involved in research, mentoring GSSM students as well as pursuing his own interests. He recently discovered a process for the electrolytic production of hydrogen, for which a patent is under discussion.
"GSSM does not emphasize Advanced Placement per se," said Dr. Murray Brockman, GSSM president. "Instead we choose to emphasize mastery of the course subject as opposed to preparation for a test. Each faculty member is responsible for designing and teaching courses that allow students to master the subject at the designated level. Often AP curricula align with that responsibility; in this case, obviously the AP curricula do align with Dr. Wagner's assessment, and he has been very successful leading his students to mastery of the subject."
Dr. Wagner, a Bishopville resident, holds a B.S. and M.A.T. from the University of Iowa and an Ed.D. from the University of South Carolina. He is actively involved in the National Science Teachers Association; the S.C. Association of Chemistry Teachers; the American Chemical Society; and the S.C. Science Council.
For more information on the South Carolina Governor's School for Science and Mathematics, please contact Jacqulyne Pouncey at the GSSM Foundation.
