Announcing the 2015 NEST Teacher of the Year, David Iverson (SEPT Class of 2014)!
This year’s NEST Teacher of the Year was a familiar face to me, and quickly became familiar to other teachers at SEPT and the NEST Reunion, too. Now I’d like to introduce David Iverson to the rest of NEST, to give him well-deserved recognition as the 2015 NEST Teacher of the Year Award winner!
I knew Dave already because he attended SEPT last year – the first teacher from Taiwan to attend SEPT, and the teacher who traveled the furthest in 2014. Not only did I feel fortunate to know this year’s Teacher of the Year ahead of the award presentation, but we were all fortunate that Dave could make the long trip back MIT! He gave a presentation on Friday, June 26th at the MIT Media Lab that was a perfect fit for NEST’s prestigious award – plus, Dave fit right in with this year’s SEPT teachers: joining the 2nd place winning team at the Nuclear Reactor Lab Design Challenge (Thursday evening for the annual McNamara Workshop), and sharing drinks with the gang at the Muddy.
The presentation of the NEST Teacher of the Year Award lets us all find out about the outstanding work that one teacher can do, and Dave is no exception. A nomination letter from Dave’s principal, Dr. Richard Hartzell, first shared some of Dave’s outstanding achievements to the NEST Board, followed by an introduction by his Head of School, Sharon Hennessy, at the award presentation. But, as Dave preferred, most of the evening’s program was devoted to sharing his students’ achievements. Dave showed a compilation of videos that his Physics students have created for the popular “Physics is Everywhere” project he’s been leading since 1999. Similar to the spirit that is celebrated by the NEST Student Awards, the student videos promote Physics by covering a topic in a super entertaining manner that shows how Physics applies to everything.
If you ask him, Dave will share how the “Physics is Everywhere” project has worked at his school – and much more. As Chair in the Department of Science at Taipei American School, he’s made outreach a top priority – extending invitations to teams of teachers and administrators world-wide to visit and check out his school’s success. As a host, I’m sure Dave demonstrates the same generosity, humility, and professionalism as he has at MIT.
Dave is considered a dedicated and remarkable leader by his peers in Taiwan, and he’s an inspiration to his peers at MIT. After 30 years of teaching, his contributions are countless – making a far-reaching impact on STEM learning, starting with his students. His principal wrote that “First and foremost, Dave’s contribution to teaching is his teaching, which is creative, imaginative, inspirational, and effective. Even though, as chair, he could take any courses he wishes, he deliberately takes on grade 9 physics and honors physics courses. While he loves the more advanced aspects of science and technology, he loves teaching more.”
Thank you for sharing, Dave!
By Emily Martin, July 17, 2015
