This month, we recognize Megan Pickard, a graduate student in the Department of Geosciences at The Pennsylvania State University in State College.  Megan began working with middle and high school teachers as a graduate student fellow with the NSF-funded Transforming Earth System Science Education (TESSE) program for two years. Through TESSE, Megan played an important role in assisting teachers to be first-time published authors, acting as a mentor and co-author on three articles in The Earth Scientist (Summer 2011 issue) with teachers as the lead authors.  She also made many visits to Philadelphia classrooms to work with middle school teachers and their students with inquiry-based activities.  With Penn State's ESSP project, she continues to work with teachers during the ESSP summer workshops on Plate Tectonics and offers valuable assistance with content understanding and curricular approaches.

Congratulations, Megan - you are clearly a PAESTAR!