Zachary Minchow-Proffitt
Zachary Minchow-Proffitt
Fellowship Placement: U.S. Department of Energy (WDTS)
Hometown: Leesburg, VA
Zachary Minchow-Proffitt has taught all levels of science courses over the last eleven years. Most recently, Zachary was a Lead Teacher of Integrated Science and Independent Science Research (Biomedical Engineering, Bioinformatics, Data Science/AI) at the Academies of Loudoun, in Leesburg, Virginia, which is a public magnet school for advanced STEM and CTE courses of study. He was also a Beginning Teacher Coach for the school district, responsible for mentoring new secondary science teachers in their first years of teaching. Prior to teaching in Loudoun County, Zachary taught IB/AP Biology at Annandale High School, as well as at AC Flora High School in Columbia, South Carolina, where he taught all levels of science and worked with students from around the world through the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program.
Zachary holds a Master of Arts in Teaching from the University of South Carolina, where he also attended undergraduate, majoring in Biology. Through this experience, Zachary found his love for research and inquiry-based science education and made it his mission to carry that passion into the classroom. This was instrumental in his role at the Academies of Loudoun, where he established curriculum and learning experiences that inspired and empowered students to be able to research, investigate, and communicate to make meaningful impacts in the world of STEM. He believes that research skills are the most valuable skills that students can develop in high school, making them future proof for the workforce of tomorrow, no matter what path they take.
Zachary has also worked over the last several years with George Mason University on an NSF-funded grant involving self-regulation theory and computational thinking practices, for which he advised, wrote curriculum, and implemented SPIN, a web-based tool aimed at improving student data practices. He also presented the findings of the study at NSTA, which showed improvement in data practices across all test groups of students, with even more significant improvement in non-traditional student populations. Zachary is especially proud of his involvement in this project, as it aligns with the Raise the Bar goals around closing achievement and opportunity gaps for students, no matter their background. Looking forward, Zachary plans to use his broad expertise in STEM education to enhance the access and opportunity of K-12 students to research opportunities and is particularly interested in the role AI can play to expand personalized learning in schools and bridge the resource gap for historically and intentionally excluded populations.
