The  National Weather Association has named Global Field Program graduate student Nicolette Pocius as a  recipient of the 2022 Sol Hirsch NWAF Education Award. The funds are awarded annually to teach

ers and educators of grades K-12 to help improve the education of their students, their school, and/or theircommunity in the science of meteorology. The grants were established in 1994 thanks to the generosity of former National Weather Association Executive Director Sol Hirsch and many NWA members, and were transferred to the National Weather Association Foundation in 2017.

“This award will enable me to add long-lasting equipment to our school’s science program, which will continue to engage future classes in learning about the atmosphere and weather,” said Pocius. The project, titled “Climate Crusaders in the Classroom,” will impact students in the environmental science classes, members of the recycling and environmental clubs, and other faculty members, specifically science teachers.

Pocius is earning a Master of Arts in the biological sciences from Miami University through Project Dragonfly’s  Global Field Program while working working full-time as a teacher for the Boston Public Schools in Boston, Massachusetts. In addition to her roles as a teacher and a graduate student, Pocius is an avid skier and works part-time as a ski instructor.

Pocius’ international fieldwork with Project Dragonfly includes studying island biogeography and whale sharks in  Baja, Mexico; examining the forces of evolutionary, geologic, and social change in the Galápagos; and investigating orangutans and sustainable palm oil solutions in  Borneo. Pocius connects many of her master’s assignments into her work as a science educator.

A Borneo pygmy elephant photographed by Pocius in 2022	Pocius in Borneo	A macaque in Borneo photographed by Pocius in 2022