Julie Wittenborn-Sikorski

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Julie Wittenborn-Sikorski with space photo backdrop

Julie Wittenborn-Sikorski

Julie Wittenborn-Sikorski is currently teaching math, science, and social studies to students with special needs at Murphysboro Middle School. She has been teaching for 33 years. She is a past member of the Advisory Board of Teacher Education at SIUC and a member/co-chairperson of the Science in the South Conference planning team. She joined the SIUC Noyce-A Community of Problem Solvers MTF Program in 2012 and was one of the most active teachers in the program. She received multiple funding from different agencies including the Illinois Department of Natural Resources Schoolyard Habitat to purchase plants for native plant and pollinator research garden and an Egyptian Electric Classroom Empowerment Grant to purchase microscopes. She also worked with staff from the SIUC Forestry Department to plant a native cane research patch at a local park and worked with other teachers to establish a native garden network for local schools/teachers. She initiated a partnership with teachers in the Trico School District to procure grant funds to purchase a StarLab inflatable planetarium and a Little River Research and Design stream table that are shared by these rural school districts. She and her students regularly participate in webinars with NASA scientists and she has acted as an onsite facilitator for presentations on NASA Expedition Earth and Beyond: Curricular Materials, Imagery from Space and Webinars with NASA Scientists. A request for imagery that she and her students submitted resulted in a series of photos being acquired by astronauts working on the International Space Station for Murphysboro Middle School.  She was active in eclipse educational outreach activities in preparation of the 2017 Total Solar Eclipse.  She received the Sigma Xi Research Society Teacher of the year award in 2014. She is currently a member of the Teacher Advisory Board to the new SIUC Noyce - River Region Sustainability MTF Program.

Education

  • MS Science and Math Education, SIUC

  • BA Special Ed and Deaf Ed, University of Tulsa

Selected Presentation

  • Hepp, C., Wittenborn-Sikorski, J. Renzaglia, K. and Sagwan L. (2018). Informal Partnership in Rural Schools. 2018 Midwest Annual Robert Noyce Conference. St Louis, MO.

  • Wittenborn-Sikorski, J., Green, M., Hepp, C., Griswold, T. and Landewee, T.  (2017). Teach Every Student To Look Up. Illinois STEM (ISTEM) Conference Sponsored by the Regional Office of Education (ROE). Springfield Illinois.

  • Wittenborn-Sikorski, J. and Midden, C. (2016). Preparing for the 2017 Great American Eclipse. The 2016 Midwest Noyce Connections: Exploring Space Science Conference. Kennedy Space Center, Florida.

  • Valderrama Graff, P., Wittenborn-Sikorski, J (2014 & 2016). Expedition Earth and Beyond: Curricular Materials, Imagery from Space, and Webinars with NASA Scientists.  Science in the South. Carbondale, IL. 

  • Sipes, S.D., Wittenborn-Sikorski, J., D. Brown, D., Midden, C. and Renzaglia, K. (2015). Problem-Based Learning Using Pollen Analysis at the International Teacher-Scientist Partnership Conference. San Francisco, CA.

  • Sipes, S.D., Wittenborn-Sikorski, J., Brown, D., Midden, C. and Renzaglia, K. (2014). Problem Based Learning Using Pollen Analysis. Botany 2014. Boise, Idaho.

Professional Affiliations

  • Murphysboro Education Association, Member and past officer and committee chair

  • Illinois Science Teacher Association, Member

  • Science in the South, Organizer and Presenter

  • Advisory Board for Teacher Education (ABTE), Member

  • MMS STEAM Night, Organizer and Presenter

  • SIUC Eclipse 2017 Education and Outreach Committee, Member and Presenter

  • SIUC Noyce -Teacher Advisory Board, Member