Haas wins community engagement award for her work with K-12 educators

Kara Haas, W.K. Kellogg Biological Station KBS K-12 outreach and education coordinator, has been honored with an award from the Michigan State University Office of University Outreach and Engagement.

The Graduate Student Award for Community Engagement Scholarship recognizes students for exemplary community-engaged scholarship during their years of graduate study. The award is given annually, to up to four students per year.

Educators voice their support

Among the statements of support for her nomination:

“One of Kara’s greatest strengths is disseminating the scientific information gathered from the current research being conducted at WK Kellogg Biological Station, as well as other research facilities, and making it accessible to a wider audience, including the general public, K-12 educators, and K-12 students,” said Gabriel Knowles, elementary teacher and Research Experiences for Teachers fellow.

“Kara uses her communication skills to connect people, ideas, and resources that improve teaching and learning science. She models what it means to be a learner and then empowers students and teachers to do the same,” said Richard Bacolor, Wayne Regional Educational Service Agency science consultant and Michigan Science Teacher Association past-president.

“Kara uses her communication skills to connect people, ideas, and resources that improve teaching and learning science. She models what it means to be a learner and then empowers students and teachers to do the same,” said Renee Bayer, senior academic specialist at MSU’s CREATE for STEM Institute.

Kara Haas

Kara L. Haas is an educator, researcher, and doctoral student in curriculum, instruction and science education at MSU. She is the K-12 partnership coordinator for the KBS Long-Term Ecological Research program, an NSF-funded broader impacts program that brings K-12 teachers and scientists together to improve environmental literacy. She has a B.S. in biology from Hope College and a master’s in the practice of teaching: early childhood education from Western Michigan University.

Of the award, Haas said “Thank you for the recognition of work that brings me so much joy. I hope to continue to thrive in this work and to create spaces where we can learn to thrive together.”