Camp Staff & Location
Camp Director
Dr. Virginia Shepherd, Director of the Center for Science Outreach, is an internationally known scientist committed to the development and implementation of science outreach programs for K12 teachers and students. She has directed our GAS Camp that has already had a significant impact on student development in the sciences. She has been recognized by Vanderbilt University and University of Iowa for Excellence in Teaching, and has recently received the Bruce Alberts Award for Distinguished Contributions to Science Education from the American Society for Cell Biology. Dr. Shepherd, Professor of Pathology and Medicine and Associate Professor of Biochemistry at the Medical Center, also holds an adjunct appointment in the Department of Teaching and Learning at Peabody College, Vanderbilt's Education School. She serves on the Metro Nashville Public Schools Curriculum Advisory Council. She has also recently been nominated by Peabody for Tennessee Science Educator of the Year for 2002.
Camp Counselors
Kathy Lee has been teaching science in Tennessee schools for over 30 years. She has taught high school Advanced Placement (AP) Biology, AP Chemistry, AP Environmental Science, Honors Chemistry and middle school 5th, 6th, and 7th grade sciences. Science is her passion. Her vacations include sites of scientific interest such as dinosaur digs, fossils hunts, volcanoes, searching for endangered bird species, swimming with manatees, solar eclipses, and cave research. She and her two Shetland Sheepdogs do herding and agility when not catching frisbees or squirrels.
Josh Cooper is a science teacher at Nashville's East Literature Magnet Middle School and joined the camp staff in 2011. He has been a teacher with the Scientist in the Classroom Partnerships for several years.
Junior Camp Counselors
Emily and Teria
Location
The camp is held in the biosciences laboratories at Vanderbilt and staffed by middle and high school teachers. Additional camp personnel include graduate and undergraduate science students, high school junior counselors, and staff from other partnering university and community organizations.