Townsend Harris Teacher Wins Science-Math Award

Katherine Cooper, a science teacher at Townsend Harris H.S.Katherine Cooper, a science teacher at Townsend Harris H.S., a highly selective New York City public high school in Flushing, has been named a recipient of the Fund for the City of New York’s first annual Sloan Awards for Excellence in Teaching Science and Mathematics. The Sloan Awards recognize seven exceptionally dedicated and creative teachers who have achieved outstanding results and inspired students of all backgrounds and abilities to pursue careers in science and mathematics. Each awardee received $7,500–$5,000 for the teacher and $2,500 to strengthen each school’s science or mathematics program.

Cooper, who was chosen from applications submitted by parents, students, teachers and school administrators throughout the five boroughs, was presented with her Sloan Award on November 5 in a 4:30 p.m. ceremony in the Great Hall at Cooper Union. Award recipients were acknowledged by a variety of dignitaries and government officials, including Memorial Sloan-Kettering President and Nobel Prize winner Harold Varmus, New York City Schools Chancellor Joel Klein and Sheldon Weinbaum, CUNY Distinguished Professor of Biomedical and Mechanical Engineering and chair of the selection panel. According to Klein, while it’s true American students in general do not measure up to their counterparts in many other countries in science and math, it is also true that they can be just as good as, if not better than, any across the globe. “The real lesson is that when students have the right teachers and support, they can do anything,” he said. “That’s why the Department of Education is delighted to help inaugurate these awards, which will continue to highlight superior teachers like Mrs. Cooper, who by her example, informs and inspires others.”  

 For more information on the Awards, including the full list of recipients, visit www.fcny.org.

The daughter of parents who came to the U.S. to escape communism, Cooper’s passion for science was ignited by her study of dance, which led to enduring interest in the human body. Cooper began her teaching career at Townsend Harris after graduating from Fordham and NYU with, respectively, science and education degrees and during the last six years has made important contributions to the school. She has designed biomedical ethics and anatomy-physiology courses, mentored students who have won Intel Science Awards, and established the Townsend Harris Science Olympiad Club, which has won numerous championships. Employing an approach that allows students to conduct their own research and draw their own conclusions, Cooper excels at guiding and engaging. “She’s not just a teacher or even a mentor–she deals with us as adolescents and burgeoning scholars,” a student said.

“Katherine’s contributions to our science program, our extracurricular activities, and her students’ lives are immeasurable,” Townsend Harris Principal Kenneth Bonamo said. “She is a caring, inspirational and intelligent teacher who brings out the best in her students and guides them in very advanced research, all while not losing sight of the whole child.”

Townsend Harris will also celebrate Cooper’s achievements on Friday, November 13, at a 9:45 a.m. ceremony at the school. For more information, contact Assistant Principal Susan Brustein at 718-575-5580.

Townsend Harris H. S. is a selective academic institution with an outstanding history that dates back to the 1800s. Now located on the Queens College campus, it was designated a National School of Excellence in 1989, and the Intel School of Distinction for Science Excellence in 2008. The student body is comprised of approximately 1,100 academically gifted and culturally diverse individuals who have been selected from the entire city of New York based on demonstrated evidence of high academic motivation and achievement. The school’s unparalleled academic program stresses mastery in the humanities, math and science, with an emphasis on classics, and demands of its students the leadership skills, discipline, and work ethic required to excel in the most rigorous of colleges and careers. Described as “a crown jewel of the city’s public high schools” by insideschools.org, Townsend Harris is recognized nationally as a paradigm of secondary school education.

 Nominations for the 2010 Sloan Awards for Excellence in Teaching Science and Mathematics will be accepted from Dec. 1, 2009 through Mar. 31, 2010. All science and mathematics teachers in New York City’s more than 300 high schools who have taught for at least five years, and who demonstrate excellence in teaching and in achieving results are qualified to be nominated. Winners will be chosen by an independent panel of distinguished scientists, mathematicians and educators. More information and a nomination form are available at www.fcny.org.

 The Fund for the City of New York was established by the Ford Foundation in 1968 with the mandate to improve the quality of life for all New Yorkers. In partnership with government agencies, nonprofit institutions and foundations, the Fund has developed and helped to implement innovations in policy, programs, practices and technology in order to advance the functioning of government and nonprofit organizations in New York City and beyond. The Fund seeks out, adapts, applies and assesses ways to enable government and non-profit agencies to achieve excellence through its five core programs—the Cash Flow Loan Program, the Incubator Program, the Sloan Public Service Awards, the Sloan Awards for Excellence in Teaching Science and Mathematics and Technology Consulting. The Fund also fulfills its mission through three strategic initiatives: the Center on Government Performance, the Center for Nonprofit Enterprise Solutions and the Center for Internet Innovation/E-Community Connect.

The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation is a philanthropic nonprofit institution established by Alfred P. Sloan, Jr. in 1934. Its main programs involve science and technology, standard of living and economic performance, education and careers in science and technology, selected national issues and a civic program. The goal of the civic program is to contribute to New York City by responding to special opportunities that the city presents and by funding high-leverage programs related to its areas of interest. The Sloan Public Service Awards, presented annually by the Fund for the City of New York, have been part of its civic program since 1985.