39th Annual NCSTA Professional Development Institute
Koury Convention Center
Greensboro, NC
November 15-16, 2007

EARTH: A Good Planet is Hard to Find

This year’s focus is on how earth and its inhabitants are co-existing, on ways the environment is affecting us and how we are influencing the environment.

Speakers and Presentations

All NCDPI presentations are online. If you missed the sessions, check them out now!

William Surles "Bill" McArthur, Jr., (Colonel, USA, Ret.)
Manager, Safety & Mission Assurance, Johnson Space Center

Bill was born on July 26, 1951, in Laurinburg, North Carolina. He graduated from Red Springs High School in 1969; received a Bachelor of Science degree in applied science and engineering from the United States Military Academy, West Point, New York, in 1973, and a Master of Science degree in aerospace engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1983.

Bill McArthur has been the recipient of many military and NASA awards for his distinguished service and accomplishments including the Distinguished Service Medal, the Defense Superior Service Medal, the NASA Distinguished Service Medal, and the NASA Exceptional Service Medal. In addition he is the recipient of the Order of the Long Leaf Pine, North Carolina’s highest civilian award. As a Master Army Aviator, Bill has logged over 9000 flight hours in 41 different air/spacecraft.

McArthur was selected by NASA 1990 and became an astronaut in July, 1991. A veteran of four space flights, McArthur has logged 224 days, 22 hours, 28 minutes and 10 seconds in space, including 24 hours and 21 minutes of EVA time in four space walks. He served on STS-58 Columbia (1993), docked with the Russian Space Station Mir on STS-74 Atlantis (1995) and served on STS-92 Discovery (2000). On Expedition 12 (2006), McArthur was the Commander and ISS Science Officer on a Soyuz TMA spacecraft and docked with the International Space Station. He conducted many missions during the six-month tour of duty aboard the space station.

Linda K. Froschauer, 2006–2007 President National Science Teachers Association
Linda K. Froschauer, a resident of Westport, K-5 Science and Math Curriculum Instructional Leader for the Weston Public Schools, is the 2007-2008 Retiring President of the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA). During her Presidential year, Linda emphasized the importance of supporting and encouraging preservice and new science teachers.

Froschauer began her teaching career as an elementary school teacher in Matteson, Illinois; moved on to middle level teaching in Matteson and at the Greenwich Public Schools, in Greenwich, Connecticut; and has been with the Weston Public Schools since 1985.

Froschauer is a past President of the Connecticut Science Supervisors Association (CSSA), the National Middle Level Science Teachers Association (NMLSTA), and the Council for Elementary Science International (CESI). She has been a leader and active member of NSTA, serving on the Board of Directors and on many committees, and she has been actively involved in Project 2061, a national effort to improve science education sponsored by the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Froschauer is the recipient of numerous awards, including Weston Teacher of the Year Award in 1999; the NSTA Distinguished Teaching Award, Middle Level, in 2001; and a Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching in 1993. Froschauer earned a BS degree in education from Northern Illinois University, an MA in science teaching from Governors State University, and a sixth-year degree in curriculum and supervision from Southern Connecticut State University. She is also a National Board for Professional Teaching Standards certified teacher.

Froschauer's talk is titled "The Most Important Factor in Science Education: Teachers”
The research is clear that the most significant element in a child’s education is the quality of their teachers. Statistics tell us that if a child has a poor quality teacher for three years in a row in their early years they are likely to never catch up to their peers. Good teachers need other good teachers. Let’s look at today’s learner and think about how we can support one another in our profession.