Thomas Jenkins

Fellowship Placement: U.S. Department of Defense
Hometown: Enon, OH

Thomas Jenkins has been an educator for the past 25 years and spent the last 23 years teaching 8th-grade science and STEM at Greenon Junior/Senior High School located in Enon, Ohio.  Tom has won several awards including: Ohio State Teacher of the Year (District 10 & State Finalist), Air Force Association Ohio Teacher of the Year, Lemelson-MIT Excite Award and is currently a finalist for the Presidential Award for Excellence in Math and Science Teaching.  Jenkins hopes to inspire his students to make a difference by not only introducing a wide range of scientific concepts but also creating an environment where they can apply their newfound knowledge to real-world problems.  Drawing on his first-hand research experience as a NASA SOFIA Airborne Astronomy Ambassador and as a NOAA Teacher at Sea, he focuses on data-driven critical thinking skills.  Tom’s Greenon Local School’s InvenTeam secured a Lemelson-MIT grant to work with nonprofits, industry and governmental agencies to create a device that helps prevent pollution from entering Ohio’s waterways.  Microsoft's #MakeWhatsNext recently helped the team secure a United States Patent for their invention.  He has worked with students as a Teaching Fellow for Johns Hopkins Whiting School of Engineering and as a Lead Instructor at Air Camp.  He mentored educators as an instructor at Wittenberg University, Manager of Special Projects at the Dayton Regional STEM Center, and as the Boeing Science Laureate at Teaching Channel.  Jenkins is a National Board Certified Teacher.  He earned a Master of Science Teaching and a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education from Wright State University.  He has also completed the University of Cincinnati’s Secondary Engineering Certification program.