Inspiring young students for a
fascination with science and the endless possibilities in STEM careers comes naturally
for Adams State University alumnus Diego Martinez. He was selected by the Astronauts
Memorial Foundation (AMF), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
(NASA) and the Space Foundation as the recipient for the 2018 Alan Shepard
Technology in Education Award.
As a young boy being raised by a
single mother, Martinez had to overcome natural obstacles to follow his path. "As a seventh grader attending public school in Denver the
cops knew me by name. I was in trouble, and I was flunking school. I knew that when I was doing
well in school my life felt better and more manageable. Yet, when I tried to read or study, I
couldn’t." Advice from his older brother, Caesar, provided the guidance needed.
"Caesar introduced me to "Study Technology" developed by L. Ron Hubbard. It took minutes
for him to explain it to me. I still struggled, but I had a tool. It’s been a tool I have used
since I was twelve. My brother saved my life by sharing this with me."
His challenges
didn’t end there. "Being raised by a single parent and being a first generation college student,
the sciences are a hard business to get into. Many of my peers had parents who
were science/engineer professionals; help was a phone call away for them. For
me, I used what I learned from Study Technology. I vowed that if I earned my
chemistry degree I would become a teacher and help Valley students overcome the
struggles of study and pursue STEM careers."
Martinez, currently a Science
Mastery Specialist for Delphian School, located in Oregon, graduated from Adams State in 2007 with a major in chemistry
with an emphasis in secondary education.
What were your
college years like? Were you a traditional student?
My college years were
great, and I was not a traditional student. I married, had children, worked
several jobs, and had renovated and built a few houses, and built a grid-tied
solar system by the time I graduated. I had to be doing things, so I found
projects I was interested in. It’s funny because I am working at exactly what I
am good at, "Empowering Projects Coordinator."
You mentioned Adams
State Aaron Abeyta (professor of English) and Marty Jones (emeritus professor
of chemistry) as favorite teachers. Can you elaborate on why they were – do you
model your teaching style after them?
Aaron is a great
professor and was/is a great role model for me and many people. He got me
interested in reading and patiently taught me to be a better writer and
life-long learner. In fact, I remember writing an essay in a very angry tone,
and he didn’t give me an "F" or tell me to fix my tone or take out the curse
words. He let me express myself. I am also a huge fan of his work. His work is
about the Valley, so when I am home sick, I can pick up "Colcha" and it takes
me home. When our family is together on a Sunday morning after church in
Capulin, my wife and mother-in-law sit and read parts of "Rise, Do Not Be
Afraid."
They would take turns
reading and talking about glorious baseball games between the ASU team and
locals from Antonito and La Jara. The stories are a part of being a Valley
native and they will survive because of Aaron’s poetry and books. That makes
him a special asset to ASU and positive role model for our Valley youth and
leaders.
Doctor Jones, now
retired, is another great friend that has been part of my story at ASU. He was
the epitome of professionalism. He stated during his classes that if he makes more
than three mistakes he would cancel class. This helped us pay attention while
learning the intricacies of O-chem. Class was only canceled once in my years at
ASU. I have always tried to emulate his level of excellence. He has produced
many great chemists and earned friendships. He used to do, "molecule of the
week," Some molecules we could taste, touch and experience. I thought it was so
valuable that I modeled my own "Science Fiction Friday" after his example.
There were other
professors at ASU that helped to prepare me for a career in teaching math and
science like Mike Trujillo. I still work with him. We recently worked on
curriculum at the NASA Astronaut Training Facility Neutral Buoyancy Lab just
last summer. Dr. Benson (professor of Earth Science), Erwin Romero (Upward
Bound) and programs like Upward Bound which invested in me and gave me tools to
be successful in college.
How did Adams
State prepare you to become an exceptional teacher?
It was the professors
that cared and gave me encouragement to do my best. Their patience and personal
attention kept me from losing interest and dropping out. I feel like ASU fostered
my need to do projects and continued to be a resource, not only for me, but
also my students even after I graduated. That network helped me to be a
successful math and science teacher.
Would you
encourage current SLV high school students to attend ASU?
Of course. I can’t
begin to tell you the opportunities ASU has provided for me and the students I have
taught over the years. There is such personal care that students receive from
professors and the opportunities are plenty. Adams is a great university
because it doesn’t have the distractions that other campuses have. It’s a
treasure with its many dedicated staff.
What does
receiving the Alan Shepard Technology in Education Award mean to you?
Well, initially, my
wife screamed and shouted and cried for me. Her response to the announcement
captured pure emotion. If you see the video of the announcement you feel it. I got
an email from the Space Foundation that said, "there wasn’t a dry eye in the
room after seeing the announcement." I thought it was really cool, but a couple
of days later it really hit me in a flood of emotions while sitting on my
couch.
The award is great,
but even better is the platform that it gives me to help education. I will be working with
aerospace companies to help channel resources into programs that help education.
Most of these companies recognize that their most important asset is the future
students being trained right now. This award is important to me because it’s an
opportunity I’ve been fighting for to make education better for teachers and
student alike. My goal is to make more hands-on project based, self-paced,
individualized programs that help students master their ability to learn. With
a world of information in the palm of our hand, our biggest obstacle is getting
the information from our devices to our minds.
What grade
levels do you teach? Are they general science or specific topics?
My current title is
"Empowering Projects Coordinator" at the Delphian School in Sheridan, Oregon, I
work with all ages as well as teachers. I still teach and direct high school
science fair. My main job is to help students to apply what they have learned.
I help them create projects or find out what they are interested in and point
them in the right direction; I also find out what is needed at the school or in
the community, and let students know what projects are available. Projects work
really well since students are on individual, self-paced learning guides. This
method greatly accelerates their education because it is their personal
education plan. It’s above and beyond anything I have seen in other schools.
You really have to see it to believe it. The students call it "their beautiful
education" and it really is because it’s customized for them and their
interests.
The culture of the
school includes the planning and responsibility of the student to create their path,
and we don’t have grades because its mastery based. In most schools time is the
constant and learning is the variable. At the Delphian School, learning is the
constant and time is the variable.
Are you an Alamosa High School
graduate? What year?
I graduated Alamosa High School in 1997. I’m a Mean Moose! I’m a local boy who grew up playing a
lot of basketball on the other side of the tracks in Alamosa, cruising Main,
working at Sonic, and listening to Tupac and Biggie!
What other
schools did you work at before Delphian School?
I did my student
teaching at Sargent High School and started teaching in Antonito High School in
2007-2010. I taught at Center High School from 2010-2016.
Have you
received a master’s degree? If so, from where and in what.
While teaching at
Antonito High School, Daniel Newmyer, now director of Education at Space Center
Houston, encouraged me to apply to the Space Foundation for a unique set of
classes that would help me earn half my masters. My master’s in education with
an emphasis in Space Studies from Regis and a Master in Art in Curriculum and
Instruction from Adams State are near completion.
Is your wife an
ASU grad, Valley native?
My wife, Gail
Martinez, is a San Luis Valley native and ASU grad, Class of 2004. She grew up in Capulin. We actually
ran into each other a few times in high school and had many of the same
friends. We helped each other through college, got married and started a
family. We lived at 3b Faculty Drive, "the bricks." Great stories do start at
Adams.
Martinez and his wife have three children.
The Alan Shepard
Technology in Education Award is given annually in recognition of creative and
innovative use of technology by K-12 educators, or district-level education
personnel. The award, named for Mercury and Apollo astronaut Alan Shepard, will
be presented during the 34th Space Symposium opening ceremony on April 16 at
The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs, Colo., USA. The opening ceremony is
cosponsored by Northrop Grumman, and the award presentation will be followed with
a by invitation reception honoring Martinez, co-hosted by the Astronauts
Memorial Foundation.
Among Martinez’ achievements
- He has been a Space Foundation Teacher Liaison since 2008 and Space Center
Houston Space Educator Expedition Crew (SEEC) member since 2017. - He collaborated with 2013 Alan Shepard Award recipient Daniel Newmyer on T.E.S.L.A.
1.0 (Teaching Extraordinary Students Lessons in Aerospace). - He built TeslaAerospace.org website, with the goal of making STEM-related careers,
such as avionics, drone piloting and flight, accessible to a wider population. The site
features free, self-paced learning guides designed to be studied by anyone. - He mentored hundreds of students in their scientific research projects for state, national
and international science fairs, resulting in one gold medal and dozens of silver and
bronze medals at the international level. - He created a school-wide educational party for SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy launch.
• He founded, with wife Gail, the "Lindbergh Challenge," a nationwide aerospace
challenge with student-built flight simulators and a challenge for students to fly them for
33.5 hours while learning about historic aviators, doing STEM lessons and logging
simulation hours. Museums and schools across the country have pledged to participate
with his team this May. - He arranged for a "Top Gun" student pilot from the Lindbergh Challenge in 2015 to take
a flight lesson, and now more than 50 students have received initial flight lessons,
leading to possible aerospace careers. The initial lessons were funded with the award
money received when he won Colorado Lockheed Martin Science Teacher of the Year in
2015. - He developed Apollo Program workshops at Delphian School in partnership with
Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum, McMinnville, Oregon. These workshops were
designed as a model for educators to engage the public with lunar samples and other
historical artifacts representing the history of spaceflight. - He contributed to the success of Delphian School’s public solar eclipse event in 2017,
with more than 600 attending. The event featured a NASA planetary scientist as guest
speaker, the Oregon High-Powered Rocketry Club, "Moon Vault" viewings with lunar
samples and many other STEM engagement opportunities. - He is involved in Robotics Club, RC Car Club, the Association of Songwriters
Composers Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), Science Fiction Fridays and has helped arrange a private tour of SpaceX for his students.
