Texas Tech University T-STEM Center
Texas Tech University T-STEM Center
T-STEM Center News Archive 2007 Article

Talkmitt Receives 2007 Skoog Cup

Gerald Skoog (l) presents the award that bears his name to longtime colleague and 2007 Skoog Cup recipient Susan Talkmitt (r). Talkmitt received the award for outstanding contributions to K-12 science education.

By Robert D. Waller | November 16, 2007

Austin — Susan Talkmitt, the associate director of curriculum and instruction for the T-STEM Center was named the 2007 recipient of the Skoog Cup at the Conference for the Association of Science Teachers.

The prestigious award, selected by science peers from the Science Teachers Association of Texas, honors an individual in higher education who has made significant contributions to K-12 science education at local, state and national levels.

“Susan’s dynamic personality and genuine concern for teachers make everyone who works with her enthusiastic about learning new and better ways to teach STEM [science, technology, engineering and mathematics] education,” commented Dean Fontenot, Ph.D., a director of the T-STEM Center.

The Skoog Cup is awarded by the Science Teachers Association of Texas, Texas Tech University Howard Hughes Medical Institute and the Science Teachers Association of Region 17. The award was created in 1999 to honor it’s first recipient Gerald Skoog, Ph.D., co-director of the Center for the Integration of Science and Education Research and Paul Whitfield Horn professor emeritus.

Skoog, a charter member of the Texas Science Hall of Fame and Talkmitt’s longtime mentor and colleague, presented the award at Friday’s luncheon.

“Susan is a committed, skilled and informed professional. Her effectiveness as a teacher has earned her a solid reputation among students at all levels,” commented Skoog. “Susan deserves much commendation for her effectiveness in enriching the quality of science education for K-12 students and the professional lives of science teachers.”

Talkmitt joined the College of Education at Texas Tech in 1996, where she currently teaches K-12 methods courses for pre-service teachers and a secondary education curriculum course. A master teacher, Talkmitt has developed model curriculum and presented hundreds of hours of professional development training nationwide.

She is also the associate director for pre-college outreach of the Center for the Integration of Science and Education Research, where she developed innovative curriculum and teacher training as well as a traveling lab program that services over 8,000 students throughout the region each year.

“For the past 13 years, I’ve watched Susan turn her vision for science education in our region into a reality,” said Julie Isom, an associate director of the Center for the Integration of Science and Education Research. “Our center would be a shadow of itself if not for Susan’s dedicated and innovative teaching.”

Prior to joining Texas Tech University, Talkmitt, a certified biology and chemistry teacher, spent 11 years in Lubbock schools teaching grades 5-12. Talkmitt was named outstanding educator by the College of Education in 1996.