Christina Dobson recently graduated with a BS in biology and has been accepted into the PhD program at the University of Texas Southwestern. Congradulations Christina!

Officers and members of the Tarleton State University
Chapter of the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) readily
volunteered their services in three recent interscholastic competitions. The
NSTA is sponsored by Dr. Russell Pfau and Dr. Allan Nelson, professors in the
Department of Biological Sciences.

The first competition NSTA members helped in was the ecology contest at the
Regional Science Olympiad and University Interscholastic League (UIL)
contests. At the Regional Science Olympiad, Tarleton students graded
contestant papers and helped contest directors Dr. Chris Higgins and Dr. Allan
Nelson during the contest. This competition required middle and high school
students to answer questions on ecology and to interpret scientific data from
aquatic and forest ecosystems.

At the regional 2A contest and practice meet, NSTA members helped administer
and grade high school science UIL tests. Members also served as graders and
monitors in assisting contest director Dr. Allan Nelson.

Tarleton students involved in these activities included NSTA officers Vanessa
Pugh, president, from Glen Rose, Texas; Shari Flanigan, vice-president, from
Weatherford, Texas; and Juanita Britton, secretary, from Weatherford. Other
NSTA members involved in the three activities include Casie Davis from
Brownwood, Texas; John Epps from Georgetown, Texas; Courtney Greene from
Early, Texas; Kale Haschke from Junction, Texas; Ben Kunze from Lagovista,
Texas; Taylor Reed from Bedford, Texas; Cassandra Thompson from Big Spring,
Texas; and Amy Wilson from Grapevine, Texas.

Three students from Tarleton State University‚s biological sciences department
have been named as recipients of the Texas Collaborative for Excellence in
Teacher Preparation (TxCETP) $1,000 scholarship for the spring 2007 semester.
All three recipients, Juanita Britton and Shari Flanigan, both of Weatherford,
Texas; and Hannah Elkins, of Springtown, Texas, plan to become life sciences
teachers after graduation.

TxCETP is a collaborative endeavor involving faculty and students from the
departments of science, mathematics, engineering and education from 10 partner
institutions including the Texas A&M System campuses, Texas Woman's University
and Angelo State University, along with associated community colleges and
pre-kindergarten through grade 12 teachers.

"The three students that received the scholarship are all very deserving and
are going to be fine science teachers," said Dr. Allan Nelson, associate
professor of biological sciences at Tarleton and the TxCETP campus leader for
life sciences.

TxCETP is funded by the National Science Foundation and is committed to the
recruitment, education and retention of the next generation of science and
mathematics teachers.