As Director of Distance Learning for University of Minnesota’s Bell Museum of Natural history, each year Chris Tower created and provided professional development for more than 300 teachers throughout Minnesota and Wisconsin via two distance–learning, cross-curricular science programs: the JASON Project and BellLive.

In his current position, he has established a service-learning water quality study for fourth grade; designed and collaborated with students, teachers, parents, the administration, the city, and businesses to create a rain garden and a community produce garden; presented garden programs to other districts’ teachers, parents, and community members; worked on district-level science review teams and wrote science curriculum for upper-elementary levels; and wrote STEM curriculum for Minnesota’s Department of Education. A school technology leader, he produces a live school wide newscast with students.

“His creativity and willingness to experiment and explore new opportunities energizes our community,” says his principal. His district’s elementary curriculum coordinator describes him as “a real champion of both science and service learning” who “enhances the traditional science curriculum by making meaningful connections for students, while asking them for ways to give back to the community.”

Tower’s winning lesson, The Community Garden Environment Lesson Plan, is aimed at 4th and 5th grade students. The interdisciplinary lesson includes connections to science, literacy, and math, and includes essential elements of Service-Learning. This lesson addresses the Minnesota Science Standards related to environments, living systems, and inquiry.