The Rock Star
When students walk into Sabrina Ewald’s high school classroom, it’s a toss-up what they notice first. Some focus on the hundreds of rocks (obsidian, quartz, pyrite, geodes) in cases against the back wall. Others spot the rows and rows of Funko Pop toys (Marvel, Dr. Who, Harry Potter, Star Wars) on the bookshelf behind her desk.
No matter what, though, they all finish her Astronomy, Earth Science or AP Environmental Science class with the same core understanding. “I walked away with a wide-eyed awareness of our energy needs as a planet, a country and as individuals,” says former student Lucas Robinson, now a political science major who uses what he learned in Ewald’s class to talk energy policy with voters on the campaign trail. “She makes those very important lessons super-relatable.”
That’s by design. Ewald is a graduate of the Hildebrand Department’s Petroleum Science and Technology Institute for high school STEM teachers, which is led by Associate Professor of Instruction Hilary Olson and taught by UT PGE faculty members. In the five-day program, participants explore energy topics in hands-on activities, interactive labs, expert-guided discussions and peer breakout sessions.
“I was blown away by how efficient and organized the institute was,” says Ewald, who also completed the Hildebrand Teacher Leadership Program and won its Excellence in Leadership Award this year. “I am so very thankful for these experiences and how they have helped me grow as a teacher and as a leader in earth science education.”
Ewald routinely incorporates PSTI activities into her lessons, like having students conduct a personal energy audit or calculate the amount of energy it takes to heat water for a shower. “I want my students to be energy literate and see the whole picture,” she says. “I want them to see that energy equity and sustainability are very difficult challenges that aren’t clear-cut, but are attainable.”
Ewald’s teaching prowess earned her the 2021 American Association of Petroleum Geologists Foundation Teacher of the Year Award. She regularly presents to teachers at state and national conferences like the Earth Educators Rendezvous and Conference for the Advancement of Science Teaching. “I love being pushed out of my comfort zone,” she says, “and I want to help teachers reimagine their roles as ambassadors of earth science.”
Ultimately, students across Texas are the ones who benefit most. “Ms. Ewald’s model of reading the material, discussing it and doing something hands-on really helped me internalize what she was teaching,” says former student Selin Yavuzcan, now a psychology and neuroscience major planning a career in forensic psychology. “She teaches like her students are intelligent thinkers who can understand the complexities — because we are and we do.”