Nicole Flynn, a science teacher at Odyssey - The Essential School on the Tyee High campus in SeaTac, has been chosen as a Fellow in the 2010 NSTA New Science Teacher Academy.

The National Science Teachers Association (NSTA), the largest professional organization in the world, promotes excellence and innovation in science teaching and learning, in partnership with Astellas Pharma US, Inc. ("Astellas"); Bayer Corporation; and ServiceMaster.,

Flynn will participate in a year-long professional development program designed to help promote quality science teaching, enhance teacher confidence and classroom excellence and improve teacher content knowledge.

"Each of the Fellows has conveyed a strong desire to develop their skills as teachers so that they can better foster their students' interest in science," said NSTA Executive Director Francis Eberle. "We are very proud of this year's group of Fellows and are grateful for their commitment to science education and to their students."

The 2010 Fellows were selected on the basis of several criteria, including showing evidence of a solid science background and displaying a strong interest in growing as a professional science educator. Each Fellow will receive a comprehensive NSTA membership package, online mentoring with trained mentors who teach in the same discipline, and the opportunity to participate in a variety of web-based professional development activities, including web seminars. In addition, each Fellow will receive financial support to attend and participate in NSTA's 2011 National Conference on Science Education in San Francisco.

Launched during the spring of 2007, the NSTA New Science Teacher Academy, co-founded by the Amgen Foundation, was established to help reduce the high attrition rate in the science teaching profession by providing professional development and mentoring support to early-career science teachers.