Awards
A number of efforts from the Center for Educational Technologies and Challenger Learning Center received recognition in 2012.
Toolbox Training: Mine Safety received first place in the printed materials category of the 2012 Mine Health and Safety Training Materials Competition as part of the 2012 TRAM/National Mine Instructors Seminar sponsored by the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA). The Toolbox Training book features 33 scenarios in 11 general mine safety topics, ranging from avoiding roof and rib collapses in underground mines to guarding against highwall collapses and rollover accidents at surface mines.
Another manual created through our Emergency Preparedness and Worker Safety Training Program also received recognition at the TRAM conference. The Dust Management: Protecting Your Health workbook received an achievement certificate. This workbook highlights health hazards and other dangers dust presents in underground and surface mining, and it offers ways to manage dust effectively.
The Selene videogame created by the Center for Educational Technologies was named a top finalist in the in the games and apps category of the International Science & Engineering Visualization Challenge. The National Science Foundation (NSF) and the journal Science created the International Science & Engineering Visualization Challenge to celebrate the grand tradition of science visualization and to encourage its continued growth.
The Challenger Learning Center received a 2011-2012 Pinnacle Award from the Center for Interactive Learning and Collaboration. The award is presented annually to organizations delivering outstanding K-12, standards-based, interactive videoconferencing programs. Challenger's innovative distance learning program, called e-Missions™, links the Wheeling facility to classrooms anywhere in the world.
Individual Honors
Dr. Meri Cummings, lab manager and science resource teacher, received the Outstanding Commitment Award at the 2012 West Virginia FIRST LEGO League state robotics tournament. Cummings served as tournament director for seven years, and the tournament grew incredibly under her leadership.
Dr. Barbara Tabachnick, who has served as a consultant throughout the development of the CyGaMEs project, received the lifetime achievement award from the Western Psychological Association. She has worked closely with Dr. Debbie Denise Reese, senior educational researcher at the center, on Reese's research into assessing how and when players learn in educational videogames.