Sharon Webb

Fellowship Placement: U.S. Department of Energy

Sharon Webb served two years (2012 – 14) as an Einstein Fellow at the Department of Energy, Office of Science, Workforce Development for Teachers and Scientists. She worked extensively on Department of Energy Office of Science National Science Bowl® (NSB) projects, including reviewing competition questions and proofing and editing over 600 biographies. She planned and coordinated NSB Science Day seminars and partnered with Einstein Fellow alumnus Jeff Dilks to coordinate the Division Team Challenge, the hands-on experimental competition. In order to assist and inspire NSB coaches, Webb worked with Einstein Fellow Josh Sneideman to plan and produce a video which now resides on the NSB website. She presented at the Department of Energy “Celebrating Women in STEM” event. Webb participated in community outreach and service activities, including engaging with children and parents at the US Patent Trade Office “Noche de Ciencias, Newington Forest Elementary School Family Engineering Night, and Richard Byrd library.

Prior to her fellowship, Webb received her undergraduate and graduate degrees at the University of Virginia and taught mathematics and computer science at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJ) in Fairfax County, Virginia. She was awarded a position teaching a year in Scotland through the Fulbright program; she was also awarded National Board Certification in Adolescent and Young Adulthood Mathematics. Webb coached the TJ Science Bowl team since the National Science Bowl began in 1991, and her team won 4 national championships. Webb served as a reader for the national AP Calculus exam. She served as a board member and membership chair of the National Consortium for Specialized Secondary Schools of Mathematics, Science, and Technology. Webb was selected for NASA Network of Educator Astronaut Teachers (NEAT) after receiving a highly qualified rating in NASA’s Astronaut candidate search. In 2014, she returned to the classroom and to coaching at TJ. She has had many opportunities since the fellowship to speak at national and local conferences. She was selected to co-manage the Virginia Summer STEAM (Science Technology Engineering and Applied Mathematics) middle school academy at two Virginia universities and to chair the Virginia STEAM Academy’s Teaching and Learning sub-committee Standards-Setting Panel.