Real World Externships for Teachers
- Tom Boheman
- Jason Dayton
- Robin Hammann
- Ryan Lensing
- Dan Payne
- Lisa Roose
- Rebecca Thayer
- Mike Todd
- Scott Voogd
- Scott Whittler
Tom Boheman
Gladbrook-Reinbeck High School
Blackhawk County Conservation - Cedar Falls
Tom Boheman is a veteran science teacher at Gladbrook-Reinbeck High School. His 2009 externship was with the Black Hawk County Conservation Board.
Tom helped to input information about some of the 37 areas the conservation board manages onto mycountyparks.com. This web page presents information such as GPS directions to the park, hiking and biking trails, fishing ponds and canoe access points.
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Jason Dayton
Dowling High School - West Des Moines
Kemin Industries - Des Moines
Jason Dayton was a 2009 extern at Kemin Industries in Des Moines. He teaches Advanced Integrated Science at West Des Moines Dowling High School.
Jason used his chemistry background to aid him in the extraction and purification of a novel active compound Kemin was investigating.
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Robin Hammann
Pella High School
Pella Corporation - Pella
Robin Hammenn teaches chemistry and physics at Pella Community High School and worked for the Pella Corporation during the summer of 2009.
She evaluated and carried out testing procedures used to certify the durability and longevity of particular products and materials used by Pella.
Her job involved researching testing procedures, preparing materials, performing the tests and communicating all aspects of her work with colleagues.
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Ryan Lensing
Dowling High School - West Des Moines
Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) - Water Quality - Des Moines
Ryan Lensing is an environmental science and anatomy and physiology teacher at West Des Moines Dowling High School. His 2009 externship was with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources in Des Moines.
Ryan monitored water quality and flow of streams in the area around Des Moines. That data was entered into mapping software to build a comprehensive database of those particular watersheds.
One other project that Ryan was involved in is the study of mussel populations in rivers and streams around Des Moines. Mussels are an indicator species for stream quality so this data can provide an indication of the health of a watershed.
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Dan Payne
Waterloo West High School
Allen Memorial Hospital - Waterloo
Dan Payne, a mathematics teacher at West High in Waterloo, was a 2009 extern at Allen Hospital in Waterloo bringing with him 21 years of teaching experience.
His work required detailed observations of how the operating room functions in preparation for, during and after surgery. Those observations were analyzed using the Toyota Production System, better known as Lean, with the goal of increasing efficiency, decreasing resource waste, and improving the quality of health care at Allen.
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Lisa Roose
Peet Junior High - Cedar Falls
Struxture Architects - Waterloo
Lisa Roose teaches mathematics at Peet Junior High in Cedar Falls.
She worked with Struxture Architects in Waterloo helping to update a database of projects the firm has worked on over the past 10-15 years. When the database was complete Lisa helped to analyze that data, looking for trends that will help Struxture predict how long a project will take and assist in formulating a payout schedule from its clients.
Lisa also haf the opportunity to be involved with a building project at her school being carried out by Struxture Architects.
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Rebecca Thayer
Prairie High School - Cedar Rapids
Clipper Windpower - Cedar Rapids
Rebecca Thayer was a first year math teacher during the 2009-2010 school year at Cedar Rapids Prairie High School. She was a summer 2009 extern with Clipper Windpower in Cedar Rapids.
Rebecca helped to lead a recycling program within the facility further enhancing Clipper's goal of being a "green" company.
Rebecca's leadership and organizational skills were important in bringing the different divisions together for this goal and communicating the expectations of the program.
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Mike Todd
Ames High School
Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) - wildlife management, fishery and land use management - Boone
Mike Todd worked with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources at their wildlife research station near Boone during the summer of 2009. Mike teaches environmental science and physics at Ames High School.
He worked with wildlife management, fishery and wildlife diversity personnel gaining valuable experience that he took back to his classroom in the fall.
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Scott Voogd
Lincoln High School - Des Moines
Polk County Conservation - Des Moines
Scott Voogd is a science teacher at Des Moines Lincoln High School. His 2009 externship was with the Polk County Conservation Board.
Scott documented land use around Easter Lake, Southeast of Des Moines, in order to address water quality issues affecting the lake.
His study put him in contact with homeowners in the area and the city of Des Moines. His results were shared with those stake holders and contributed to possible solutions to improve the water quality.
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Scott Whittler
Clarion-Goldfield High School
Hagie Manufacturing - Clarion
Scott Wittler worked at Hagie Manufacturing in Clarion during the summer of 2009.
Scott used his math teaching experience to help Hagie in two different ways. His first task was to review the current mathematical skills inventory given to employees at Hagie and prepare a presentation to improve and update those skills.
Scott also worked on quality control of parts made at Hagie, using statistics to determine the efficiency and the life span of the equipment making the parts.
Scott took lessons learned from this experience back to the classroom at Clarion High School.
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