Fellows Inductees 2025

We are pleased to be inducting two distinguished science educators this year as STANYS Fellows. At the Annual Meeting in New York City on December 27, 1949, our organization inaugurated the STANYS Fellows Award Program to honor teachers who have served with distinction as science educators in New York State. These persons are chosen on the basis of their effective teaching and active participation in professional scientific organizations. Their leadership and scholarly endeavors in science education are noteworthy. The recipients are honored at the Annual Conference.

​​Please celebrate the accomplishments of these amazing leaders in science education on Sunday evening at the Fellows Induction and Dinner in the Oncenter Ballroom. For a list of current and past fellows, please click here. 
Dr. Mike Jabot

Dr. Michael Jabot is a highly accomplished and dedicated professional in the field of science education. His career spans over four decades, focusing on teaching, research, and leadership at various levels, from university administration to national and international initiatives.
Academic and Leadership RolesDr. Jabot has a long and distinguished career at the State University of New York (SUNY) at Fredonia. He has held a variety of positions there, including Assistant, Associate, and full Professor of Science Education, and most recently, he was named a SUNY Distinguished Professor in 2019. He has also taken on significant administrative roles, such as the Associate Dean of the College of Education.
Beyond his professorial duties, he has directed several key institutes and centers, including:
  • The Institute for Research in Science Teaching (IRST) from 2001 to the present.
  • The Institute for Earth Observation from 2016 to the present.
  • The Great Explorations in Math & Science (GEMS) National Training Center from 2006 to the present.
He has also served as a Fulbright Specialist in Geospatial Technologies with the U.S. Department of State in 2023 and as faculty for the National Science Resource Center at the Smithsonian Institution and the National Academies.
STANYS ServiceDr. Jabot has served as an active member of STANYS since 1994.  He is currently the Treasurer and Subject Area Representative for Physics and Colleges for the Southwestern Section.  Dr. Jabot has also provided past service in the following roles:

Vice President (2011-2012)
Director at Large – Professional Development (2018-2021)
Director, Southwestern Section (1996-2023)
Treasurer, Southwestern Section (1996-present)
Subject Area Representative – Physics (1996-present)
Subject Area Representative – Colleges (2005-present)
Subject Area Representative – Elementary (2001-2024)

Dr. Jabot has contributed to planning 31 Annual Conferences. He has led professional development opportunities through countless conference workshops and in statewide professional development for STANYS leaders.

For an expanded description of  Dr. Jabot's accomplishments in his distinguished career, click here.
Lee Kowalsky
MY PATH TO TEACHING AND STANYS
Like many high school grads, my path to a career was a winding one.  My dream was to be a veterinarian and ended up with my second love Wildlife Biology major at Cornell University.  By the time I graduated, the job market had evolved, and I spent some time working part time for Cornell Cooperative Extension in Ithaca before returning to Utica. I spent a few years drifting from one job to another and was a daytime bartender at a local hot spot and tutoring geometry for an affluent family when the pay phone rang.  It was the Utica City School District calling to see if I was interested in a long-term sub position for 7th and 8th grade sciences at a K-8 building. They had heard that I was a science major. The old boys’ network was working at its best. My boss and friend gave me the boot immediately to go for the interview. I took the position and taught 8th grade Introductory Physical Science (inquiry before we had the term) with no teaching experience, but I was fortunate that the principal was a former science teacher, and he was very patient, encouraging and trusting (an alcohol burner and a mohair sweater are not a good mix).


My commitment to STANYS and science led me on a path of Chairperson, Director, Treasurer, and Intermediate, Earth Science and Retiree SAR which included planning events, workshops, hospitality room, recruitment of SARS and members and literally copying and pasting together quarterly newsletters. 

In retirement, I was recruited and encouraged to become the Conference Publication Chairperson, a position that I was well suited for from editing and proofing publications for AMSCO and PRI and assisting in revision and creation of the Oneida BOCES elementary science kits. Conference Publication Chair was an opportunity to promote the conference that I was passionate about and to nourish my creative and organizational sides. I am very proud of the covers that were developed to reflect the conference theme and even spotlighted some of my photography, and the collecting of all important information about the conference.  My experience working at estate sales is now being used at the STANYS Conference Store for the next few years.

 I hope to continue to have the stamina and patience to continue my volunteerism in the future.

For an expanded description of  Ms. Kowalsky's accomplishments in her distinguished career, click here. ​
Science Teachers Association of New York State (STANYS)