Prize-winning STEAM teacher inspires with biography just for kids
Geoscientist and champion of science education Suzy Urbaniak first met award-winning author Cristy Burne six years ago, when Cristy was a journalist assigned to interview Suzy - who had just won the Prime Minister's Prize for teaching secondary science. Now Cristy and Suzy have worked together to share Suzy Urbaniak’s life story with middle-grade readers (9-13 years) as part of the much-loved Aussie STEM Stars series from Wild Dingo Press.
Suzy Urbaniak: Volcano Hunter and STEAM Warrior aims to encourage more students to consider geoscience education. “I want to show students and teachers the power that comes from working hard, being courageous, and being authentically themselves,” says Suzy, who shares stories from her childhood as a volcano-hunter, crepe-baker, risk-taker and question-asker. Winner of the 2016 Prime Minister’s Prize for her out-of-the-box teaching, Suzy is all about passion, innovation, and doing things your own way.
Cristy Burne knows this only too well. When Cristy first stepped into Suzy's 2016 Kent Street Senior High School classroom, she was blown away: "Suzy's classroom felt more like a research laboratory," Cristy says. "Her students were all working in independent groups on projects they'd designed. They were so engaged and self-motivated and free to make mistakes."
Six years later, Suzy is still working her magic. “Suzy Urbaniak taught me so many things,” says a student at one of Suzy’s workshops. “This new way of thinking changed how I view the world."
Children and adults alike will enjoy reading Suzy’s story, available from 1st February in all good bookshops and online.
February 2023 | 9781925893786 | 168 pages | Paperback | 198 x 129 mm | Middle Grade | $15.99
Science is best learned in #therealclassroom
