Stephanie Tolar Email & Phone Number

I am a science educator and cross-cultural communicator who is passionate about connecting people to nature and culture. I currently serve as the NCF-Envirothon Education Specialist, where I develop curricula, educational materials, and assessments related to environmental science and natural resources. I coordinate and collaborate with a team of volunteers from our Host state/province each year to produce materials for our annual international competition for high school students. My broad knowledge base and background in ecology and education are vital to this role, where our materials span many topics, including Aquatic Ecology, Forestry, Soils and Land Use, Wildlife, and Current Environmental Issues. I also manage the NCF-Envirothon Diversity Enhancement and Underserved Audience Grant Program, offered in conjunction with the USDA Forest Service. I work with grantees to help them design impactful projects and to solve challenges that come up during the administration of their projects.I have a Master's Degree in Biology from Duke University, where I specialized in science education and ecology. I have a BS in Environmental Sciences and a BA in Italian Language from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, as well as a minor in Marine Science. I also earned the Certificate in College Teaching from the Duke University Graduate School. I have extensive knowledge of North Carolina ecology, Italian language, pedagogy, and andragogy (adult pedagogy). I have experience with curriculum and educational resource development, assessment design, project management, public speaking, leadership, mentoring, Microsoft Office, GIS, WordPress website design, and social media. I have a detail-oriented approach to tasks and projects, while maintaining a holistic perspective on the overall impact of the work. I have experience teaching both in the classroom and in the field.My teaching philosophy is "whole-student-centered," and I incorporate a variety of pedagogical methods and active learning approaches. In Science Education, I draw from many different schools of environmental pedagogy, including traditional environmental education, natural resource interpretation, place-based learning, and nature connectedness. For cross-cultural communication, I highlight the importance of empathy, as well as knowledge of the language and culture. I incorporate real-life scenarios and active learning into my instruction and materials. Please visit my website www.stephanietolar.com to learn more about my background, my teaching philosophy, and my experiences.

Listed skills include Environmental Education, Environmental Science, Science Communication, Teamwork, and 50 others.