Celebrating our outstanding STEM teachers
Highly skilled problem solvers and innovative thinkers are important to tomorrow’s workforce. That’s why, every year, we celebrate a group of local STEM teachers who dedicate their time toward helping make our future a brighter place.
This year, we selected five teachers to be recipients of our STEM Educator Awards. Each recipient is receiving $1,500 for classroom supplies. Since this program started in 2003, PPL Foundation has awarded more than $500,000 in grants.
In addition to the awards, we’re recognizing each teacher for the positive impact they’re making on our students.
Douglas Brown
School: Central Columbia High School
Grade(s): 9-12
Douglas has been a dedicated Agricultural and Environmental Science instructor at Central Columbia for 35 years, teaching courses about wildlife science, soil, horticulture, agricultural engineering and more. He has developed a curriculum focused on high-priority careers in agriculture and environmental science, helping instruct students on diverse career paths. His students recently won the 2025 Susquehanna Valley Regional Envirothon, further demonstrating how lessons learned in the classroom are making an impact beyond Central Columbia’s walls.
Colleen Cook
Grade(s): 6-8
Colleen has been a special education teacher at North Pocono since 2010, developing programs for students with autism and intellectual disabilities. She leads a program called The Brew Crew, a student-run coffee cart integrating STEM, communication and vocational skills. Funds from this grant will be used in part to further develop this program. In addition to her commitment to special education, Colleen has helped run several STEM fairs and events at the middle school.
Judean Finkenbinder
Grade(s): 5-8
Judean has been a teacher for 15 years, joining Susquenita in 2023. She is a dedicated STEM teacher at the middle school, weaving the Engineering Design Process into lessons to define problems and create solutions. Judean’s eighth grade students research and explore alternative energy sources and how they are used, creating wind turbines and measuring energy production.
Ross Gunderson
School: Eastern York High School
Grade(s): 9-12
Ross has taught for over a decade across several levels of education and has been a physics teacher at Eastern York since 2023. His hands-on curriculum includes artificial intelligence, helping students design 3D-printed rockets. Ross also serves as the advisor for the high school’s newly founded robotics club, creating additional learning opportunities for students and showcasing his passion for STEM outside of the classroom.
Adam Zeni
School: Ephrata Middle School
Grade(s): 6-8
Adam’s passion for STEM shows in the projects he leads at the middle school, including What’s So Cool About Manufacturing, where students partner with local companies to design videos highlighting modern manufacturing. He also mentors students in the NASA TechRise Student challenge, guiding them as they design experiments for flight aboard NASA-sponsored vehicles. These programs are just part of his daily commitment to supporting hands-on STEM education in Ephrata.
Congratulations to all this year’s winners — thank you for engaging the next generation of innovative thinkers. We wish you all a happy school year!
For more information, click this link to view our news release.
