James M. Bennett science teacher Hemalatha Bhaskaran was announced today by President Donald Trump as a recipient of the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST) and the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring (PAESMEM).
Bhaskaran has been teaching at James M. Bennett High School since 2004. In her 15-plus years as an educator, she has taught biology, chemistry, environmental science, and advanced placement environmental science across freshmen to senior levels. " I am truly humbled and honored to receive the Presidential Award. I pursued a career in education to spark curiosity and ignite a passion for science and critical thinking and this is a true validation of my career choice and passion," Bhaskaran said. " The Award is a reminder that the work that my colleagues and I do matters." Bhaskaran earned a M.S. in environmental science from Bharathiyar University and a M.A.T from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. She was Maryland’s 2014 Environmental Science Teacher of the Year and is currently a semi-finalist for the Wicomico County Teacher of the Year award. Awardees are selected from schools in all 50 States, the District of Columbia, the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) schools, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and the United States territories which includes American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and the United States Virgin Islands. Nominations and awards are facilitated by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and the National Science Foundation