Teacher Craig Madison’s the man

El Verano teacher Craig Madison received the Amgen Award for Science Teaching Excellence on Thursday for his outstanding work with Exploratorium Science Project. The AASTE is an annual awards program that recognizes extraordinary contributions by educators across the United States, Puerto Rico and Canada who are elevating the level of science literacy through creativity in the classroom and motivation of students.

With a longstanding commitment to science education, Amgen established the teacher awards program to promote and encourage science excellence in public and private schools. Amgen received over 300 applications from across the U.S. and Canada. Thirty-four winners who demonstrate an outstanding ability to inspire their students and produce results in science education will be recognized.

As one of the most creative and inspirational science teachers in California, Madison will receive an unrestricted $5,000 grant and El Verano will receive a restricted $5,000 grant which can be used for the expansion or enhancement of a school science program, science resources, or the professional development of the school’s science teachers.

Since the program’s inception in 1992, Amgen, a biotechnology company that discovers and develops medicines for serious illness, has awarded over $3 million dollars to more than 200 educators and schools who have made exceptional contributions to the science-teaching field.