Valdine McLean - 2009 Fellow

Pershing County HS, Lovelock NV District: Pershing County School District Grades: 9-12 1215 Frankllin Avenue Lovelock, NV 89419

Valdine McLean teaches chemistry, biology, physics, and research science in rural Nevada at Pershing County High School. She has been recognized for her innovative teaching and was selected as a National Milken Educator, Nevada Teacher of the Year, NEA Foundation for Improving Education Teaching Excellence Award, and a National recipient of the Presidential Award in Science Teaching for Nevada.  She is National Board Certified in Adolescent/Young Adult Science and works with Botany Society of America’s Planting Science program.  She has consulted for the Center of Teaching Quality and Nevada Department of Education, and served as an inaugural member of the National Academy of Science Teacher Advisory Council. She holds Bachelor of Science in Biology from Humboldt State University in Arcata, CA, and a Master of Science in Science Education from Montana State University – Bozema. At Pershing County High School, McLean co-advises the high school Science Olympiad team and is the Class of 2014 Advisor.  In her spare time, as a wife and mother of two, she likes to fly fish, garden, travel, and scrapbook.

With funding from the Society for Science & the Public Fellowship Program, McLean teaches a Research Science class. The class is designed to teach specific research skills, provide students a research schedule to meet various competition deadlines, and provide time for the students to engage and work on research of their choice.  Since the inception of the class, McLean’s students have qualified for the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair from the Western Nevada Regional Science and Engineering Fair, and one student became a regional finalist of the National Junior Science and Humanities Symposium for Northern California and Western Nevada.  

McLean’s students have tackled various local issues, including soil non-conformity, toxicity of sodium benzoate in plant and animal organisms, investigations of bacterial and fungal contaminants on cell phones and production of two forms of energy through cultivating microbial organisms found in the local mud banks of the Humboldt River.

Learn more about McLean's program on the SSP blog

mcleans school board presentationStudent Researchers

Students at Nevada Soy plant inspecting the soy meal.

Students listening to Glenn Bakker show and illustrate the soil condition problems.

Team Woodstock of Catapult contest.

Students Collecting Soil Samples in the Field, November 25, 2009.

Students Collecting Soil Samples in the Field, November 25, 2009.

Students met with Teresa Elerick – lab manager for clay manufacturing plant. November 25, 2009, to determine how soil shakers work and what they do with particle size. There is a great interest in what the girls find with the physical parameters of the soil, as this company may be able to test pilot some of their materials to help the valley farmers.

Marcus collects a bio fuel samples from plant.

Alonzo and Christian sketch a scaled model of the final extraction tank.

Kalynne measures her first titer of algae for experimentation.