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In this Issue:
- NABT Welcomes New Leaders
- NABT2026: Call for Proposals is Open!
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Free Darwin Day Webinar: Journey into Darkness: The Allegory of the Cave
- Partner Spotlight: 2026 My COAST Details
- Nominations for Outstanding Biology Teacher Award (OBTA) Due March 1st
- Nominations for All Awards Being Accepted; Two New NABT Awards Announced
- Suggest a Speaker for NABT2026
| | Correction: Kristy Daniel’s last name was misspelled in the original January News & Views. The corrected edition is below. | | |
NABT Welcomes New Leaders
January 1 marked the start of a new year—and new leadership terms for NABT.
Vedham Karpakakunjaram has assumed the role of NABT President, with Kirstin Milks moving into the position of Past President and Kristy Daniel stepping in as President-Elect.
We are pleased to welcome Sheela Vemu and Jennifer Jones to the NABT Board of Directors. Sheela is serving as a Director-at-Large, while Jennifer joins the Board as a Director-Coordinator and will continue her work as a Regional Coordinator. Lee Ferguson will complete Kristy Daniel's term as Director-at-Large. Andrew Taylor and Jacqueline Washington continue in their roles as Director-at-Large and Secretary/Treasurer, respectively.
Several Regional Coordinators were also recently re-elected. Don Pinkerton (Region I), David Butler (Region III), and Lee Ferguson (Region VII) will continue serving in their coordinator roles.
Leadership transitions also took place within NABT Sections. Heather Zimbler-Delorenzo is the new Chair of the Two-Year College Section, and Tamar Goulet has assumed the role of Chair of the Four-Year College & University Section.
As we welcome these leaders into their new roles, we extend our sincere thanks to Anneke Metz, whose term as Director-at-Large concluded last year, as well as to Melanie Lenahan and Sayali Kukday for their dedicated service as section chairs of the Two-Year College Section and Four-Year College Section, respectively.
Finally, we offer our deepest gratitude to Amanda Townley. Amanda joined the NABT Board as President-Elect in 2023 and concluded her official service as NABT Past President on December 31, 2025.
We look forward to working with all of our leaders—newly elected, continuing, retired, and emerging—in the months ahead.
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Submit Your Session For NABT2026
Don't miss your opportunity to share innovative teaching strategies, informative research, and best practices with other passionate educators! NABT is accepting session proposals for the 2026 NABT Professional Development Conference until April 1, 2026.
Join us from October 29 to November 1, 2026, at the Hyatt Regency Dallas Hotel in Dallas, Texas, for the only conference designed for biology and life science educators by biology and life science educators.
Full submission guidelines are available to help you prepare materials before submitting your session online at 2026 NABT Conference Proposals.
Do you have a great idea but don't think it will fill a 75-minute session? Don't worry, we always need 30-minute sessions.
Is this the first time you are submitting? 40% of sessions at the 2025 NABT Conference were from 1st time presenters, and we always like to learn from new people!
Do you have other questions? You can always contact NABT using the chat feature on NABT.org or feel free to crowdsource answers from the NABT Facebook Group.
Other Considerations:
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NABT will accept sessions until 11:59 PM Pacific on Wednesday, April 1, 2026.
- You may submit an unlimited number of proposals. However, acceptance will be limited to two education sessions per presenter.
- You may also present posters, research papers, exhibitor sessions, and symposiums in addition to the two sessions.
- The NABT Professional Development Committee will review session proposals, and acceptance notifications will be sent to presenters by May 29, 2026.
- Upon acceptance, all session presenters must register and pay the appropriate fees to attend the NABT Professional Development Conference in Dallas.
- Please make sure all co-presenters are aware of this requirement before submission.
We look forward to receiving your proposals and welcoming you to the 2026 NABT Conference in Dallas!
Check the website often for details!
| | Free Darwin Day Webinar
Journey into Darkness: The Allegory of the Cave | | |
NABT and NCSE are proud to present an encore presentation of the 2025 Evolution Symposium, presented at the NABT Conference in St. Louis.
Plan to join us on Thursday, February 12th at 7:00 PM ET (6:00 PM CT, 5:00 PM MT, and 4:00 PM PT) for this free webinar featuring Rick and Lindsay Hunter.
Rick Hunter will share the amazing story of his co-discovery of the first-known fossils of Homo naledi. Rick Hunter is a caver and small-space specialist who, along with Steven Tucker, discovered the Dinaledi Chamber in the Rising Star cave system in the Cradle of Humankind in South Africa in 2013.
K. Lindsay Hunter was one of six Advance Cave Archaeologists (known popularly as the "Underground Astronauts") selected to excavate within the Rising Star cave system. She is an anthropologist and National Geographic Explorer for the National Geographic Society. Lindsay will discuss her participation in the initial excavation and how a diminutive human ancestor challenged established paleoanthropological views and practices in a big way.
Registration for the webinar is available now, and everyone is welcome to attend.
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Nominations for Outstanding Biology Teacher Award (OBTA) Due March 1st
Every year, the NABT Outstanding Biology Teacher Award (OBTA) program recognizes an outstanding biology educator in grades 7–12 in each of the 50 states, Washington, DC, Puerto Rico, Canada, and overseas territories.
While candidates for this award do not need to be NABT members, they must have at least three years of teaching experience in a public, private, or parochial school. In addition, most of the nominee’s career should have been devoted to teaching biology or life science.
One of the most important aspects of the OBTA is that candidates are judged by their professional peers on teaching ability, leadership in the school and community, and student–teacher relationships.
OBTA honorees are recognized as the best biology teachers in the United States and Canada—one of the highest honors bestowed by the National Association of Biology Teachers (NABT).
Help us identify one of the best K–12 biology teachers in your state, province, or territory by submitting a nomination before March 1. We know that teacher might be you, so don’t hesitate to nominate yourself!
All NABT award nominations are submitted online using the Award Nomination Form. OBTA nominations are due March 1, 2026.
The Outstanding Biology Teacher Award is proudly sponsored by
| Special consideration is also provided by Bio-Rad Laboratories, the Botanical Society of America, and miniPCR.
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Nominations for all 2026 NABT Awards Being Accepted, Two New NABT Awards Announced
You recognize excellence in teaching. So do we!
The NABT Awards program recognizes teachers for their expertise in specific subject areas, for contributions to the profession by new teachers, and service to NABT, life science teaching, or leadership in learning communities.
NABT has added two awards this year:
The Climate Education Action Award
Sponsored by NCSE, this award recognizes excellence in classroom/community education that specifically supports and promotes the accurate and robust teaching of climate science and the impact of the changing climate on society beyond the classroom. This award is presented to K-12 teachers in odd-numbered years and undergraduate and/or informal educators in even-numbered years. NCSE’s sponsorship of this award includes a $1,000 honorarium.
Lindsey Fields Allied Health Education Award
Established to honor Lindsey Fields, this award recognizes innovative, student-centered classroom instruction that supports an understanding in the diverse fields that comprise allied health sciences (Ex. Human A&P, Pre-Nursing/Med, Pathology, etc.). This award is sponsored by NABT, and includes a $500 honorarium. The recipient also receives a recognition plaque to be presented at the NABT Professional Development Conference and one year of complimentary membership to NABT.
Learn more about the NABT Awards Program here, and nominate yourself or a colleague for one of the awards using the online nomination form.
NABT Award nominations are due by March 15, 2026 and May 1, 2026, depending on the award.
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Suggest a Speaker for NABT2026
It seems like only yesterday that we welcomed over 700 biology and life science education enthusiasts to St. Louis. Now we are planning the next NABT Professional Development Conference in Dallas, and we need your help!
From Nobel Prize winners sharing their experiences to early-career scientists sharing their excitement, the plenary speakers at the NABT Conference engage from the stage! Past highlights include Francis Collins singing for us in Atlanta, Temple Grandin reminding us to focus on what students can do (not what they can’t) in Denver, and Jeff Corwin shared his passion for wildlife conservation!
Help us bring the next best speakers to the NABT Conference by submitting your Speaker Suggestions online. This is your chance to hear from the scientists, education researchers, and well-known science communicators you follow on social media, live and in person. All suggestions are welcome!
| | Are you hosting a workshop? | |
Use our easy online form to order free items from NABT such as copies of ABT, membership coupons, and other NABT merchandise.
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Notices that appear in News & Views are announcements only and do not indicate an endorsement by NABT. Permission is granted by the National Association of Biology Teachers for libraries and other users to make reproductions for their own or their client's personal, noncommercial, or internal use. This newsletter is made with the assistance of AI editing tools.
Copyright © 2026. All rights reserved
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