Jennifer Childress
Jennifer Childress
Fellowship Placement: U.S. Department of Defense
Hometown: Anchorage, AK
Jennifer Childress most recently taught physics, including Advanced Placement Physics C: Mechanics, and engineering at AJ Dimond High School. She taught at Dimond High for 19 years out of her 25 years teaching in Alaska. During these 19 years, she helped to design and implement an Engineering Academy for students grades 9-12 which included teaching the Project Lead the Way course Principles of Engineering. She also helped to found and organize an Engineering Advisory Council with members from the local university and community industry leaders. Before teaching at Dimond High School, Jennifer taught middle and high school science and math for two years in Cordova, Alaska and 7th grade science at Mears Middle School in Anchorage. She started her career in Alaska with the Chugach School District, spending three years writing science curriculum and standards, and coordinating a grant funded project called Youth Area Watch that created opportunities for students to work directly with scientists conducting research following the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Prince William Sound. Jennifer earned her Bachelor of Science, Cum Laude with a major in Physical Science Teacher Preparation and a minor in Geology from Humboldt State University. She holds teaching credentials for Physical Science, General Science, Mathematics and Elementary Education. Jennifer was recognized with the Presidential Award for Excellence in Math & Science Teaching in 2017. She was also recognized as a BP Teacher of Excellence in 2015 and was the Alaska Siemens Advanced Placement Teacher of the Year in 2008-2009. In 2019, Jennifer was selected as a NASA Airborne Astronomy Ambassador. One of the projects that Jennifer is most proud of is Smart Girls Rock!, a program she helped to develop and organize for over 10 years at Dimond High School. Smart Girls Rock! connected high school girls with women engineers from local industry. Jennifer presented a workshop on Smart Girls Rock! at the annual conference for the Society of Women Engineers in Baltimore, MD in November, 2013. Jennifer is driven to create opportunities for all students to have success in learning science and math, particularly physics. She strongly believes that students gain confidence when they experience success learning STEM topics that have been labeled “hard”. This confidence makes them much more likely to develop a love of science and an appreciation for learning about the world around them. She is particularly passionate about helping young women achieve success in learning physics so that they feel confident in pursuing physical science degrees and careers. In her 19 years with the Anchorage School District, Jennifer has become a leader within the science community and she is proud of her work helping to mentor new physics teachers throughout the district. Most recently, she has been honored to serve as a board member with the NASA eClips Advisory Board. She has also done work to help compare state standards to NGSS standards.
