STEMteachersNYC is excited to announce that board member and co-founder Seth Guinals-Kupperman has been selected as a winner for the 2018 Math for America Muller Award for Professional Influence in Education. Through his work as a teacher and a workshop leader for STEMteachersNYC he’s demonstrated a passion for both physics and physics education. Congratulations to Seth for all his amazing contributions to the field!

Guiñals-Kupperman will be awarded $20,000 during a ceremony on Tuesday, June 5, 2018 at 5:30 p.m. at the Simons Foundation, 160 Fifth Avenue, 2nd Floor Auditorium, NYC.

In addition, $5,000 will be awarded to the school or organization of each nominator. Guiñals-Kupperman was nominated by Fernand Brunschwig, President of STEMteachersNYC.

These awards are made possible by financial support from MƒA Board Member Peter Muller and his family through their Dancing Tides Foundation. “The MƒA community is made up of remarkable teachers who are the best at what they do,” said Muller. “My family and I are thrilled to recognize Seth and Patrick for their impact on the profession. Our hope is that this award will not only raise the professional and personal profiles of Seth and Patrick, but further MƒA’s mission of influencing public dialogue about all teachers and the teaching profession.”

Seth Guiñals-Kupperman, 5-Year MƒA Master Teacher

Seth Guiñals-Kupperman has taught high school physics in the New York City Public Schools for 15 years, including the last three at The Brooklyn Latin School. In 2010 Seth became one of only a handful of Nationally Board Certified Teachers of Physics in the NYC area. Seth earned a B.S. in Physics and a B.S. in Linguistics & Philosophy from MIT and an M.A. in Science Education from the City College of New York. Seth is a founder and active board member of STEMteachersNYC, a nonprofit that cultivates excellence in STEM teaching through innovative, teacher-led professional development. He is a recipient of the 2017 UFT Excellence in Education Award and was named to the 2018-19 cohort of the 100Kin10 Teacher Forum. He has presented at conferences such as NY Teachers Summit, SCONYC, STANYS, and NSTA. At MƒA Seth has facilitated workshops on modeling instruction, National Board Certification, and understanding energy through graphical representation. He also serves as a mentor and advisor to MƒA Early Career Teachers of science and is a part of the New York State Master Teacher Program.

Seth works with teachers from a variety of communities and settings on curriculum, pedagogy, and instruction and is regarded by his own past teachers and mentors, as well as his current students and colleagues, as a leader in science education with a natural talent to build and nurture connections between people. Seth Guiñals-Kupperman is being recognized for his outsized influence on physics education across New York City.

“I’m deeply honored to receive the Muller Award, representing my commitment and drive for constant reflection and improvement within the profession,” said Guiñals-Kupperman. “I take science education seriously as a career, an art, and a life’s work, and I am passionate about the role of teachers in advancing science teaching in New York City and beyond. I am grateful to be a part of a thriving community of teachers, intent on evolving the craft for the benefit of the next generation of learners.”