ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, January 26, 1996 TAG: 9601260044
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
The gifts were fitting for Rebecca Ross: a pair of binoculars and a microscope. No doubt she'll use them.
For a teacher who has been fascinated with nature and science since she was a farm girl, they probably will be cherished more than a plaque.
She'll use them to keep researching the natural world so she can help her students better understand it. Walking in the woods and observing animals as a child sparked her curiosity about nature.
Ross, who teaches at Cave Spring High School, received the binoculars and microscope from the National Association of Biology Teachers, which recently named her Virginia's outstanding biology teacher of the year.
She was honored for her work as a teacher as well as her involvement in professional activities.
Ross combines academics with a down-to-earth teaching style that motivates students, said Billie Reid, science supervisor for Roanoke County schools.
"She loves kids, and she has a way of inspiring them," Reid said. "She's very creative and innovative."
Ross teaches anatomy, biology and physiology. She also is educational coordinator of the Fralin Biotechnology Center at Virginia Tech, and she is a resource teacher in Virginia for the Human Genome Project, a national research program on genes.
Awards are not new for Ross. In 1993, she was cited as one of the outstanding science teachers in the United States by the Tandy Corp. She received $2,500, and her picture appeared in several national publications.
Ross also has been selected in the past as outstanding teacher of the year by the Virginia Association of Science Teachers and the Virginia Academy of Science.
"We're fortunate to have her," Reid said. "I keep my fingers crossed, because I'm afraid we'll lose her."
Ross, who heads the science department at Cave Spring, has taught at both the high school and college levels. She said she enjoys teaching both age groups.
"Every day is different in teaching," she said. "It's rewarding to think that you can positively influence the future."
She has been selected to attend workshops at the University of Rochester Medical School on genetic engineering and immunology, at the University of Kansas Medical School on the Human Genome Project, and at Catholic University on tissue culture and molecular biology.
She was master teacher and editor of the Biotechnology Network for Teachers for the University of Rochester Medical School during the 1991-92 school year.
As a youngster, Ross wanted to become a doctor, but medical schools were accepting few women when she was in college in the 1960s. Instead, she got a master's degree in biology and science education from the University of Virginia and became a teacher.
Ross holds a doctorate in biology and science education from Virginia Tech. As educational coordinator of the Fralin Biotechnology Center, she helps organize workshops and conferences for high school and college teachers.
She has worked with students on scores of science fair projects and has taken several Roanoke County students to the International Science Fair.
Cave Spring student Maneesh Rajiv Jain was among the 300 national semifinalists this year in the Westinghouse Science Talent Search. Seth Morgan Wood, a Northside High student, was the only other Roanoke Valley semifinalist.
Ross takes her students on interesting field trips - hospitals and morgues, for instance - and works with them on independent research projects, Reid said.
"She's so diversified and brings so many things to her students."
LENGTH: Medium: 74 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: CINDY PINKSTON/Staff. Rebecca Ross shows her anatomy andby CNBphysiology students the various sections of a sheep's brain. Ross,
who teaches at Cave Spring High School, was recently named
Virginia's outstanding biology teacher of the year.