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Vargas will serve at the Defense Manufacturing Technology\nProgram Office, where he will focus on bringing STEM education to the forefront\nof the national conversation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI am humbled and honored to be chosen for this\nopportunity,\u201d Vargas said. \u201cThe Air Force Association has helped me so much\nsince last year. I have learned a great deal, and I look forward to what the\nnext 11 months have in store. Being AFA’s national aerospace education\nambassador has given me the platform, and the confidence, to apply my message\nof \u2018STEM for All\u2019 on a much larger scale than I ever imagined. Thank you,\neveryone, for the constant encouragement and support. It means the world to me\nto be part of the AFA family.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The 2020-2021 Einstein Fellows come from K-12 schools across\nthe country and represent diverse teaching backgrounds\u2014with expertise in\nscience, engineering, computer science, and mathematics. Federal agencies and\nU.S. Congressional offices will benefit from Fellows\u2019 real-world experiences as\neducators. In return, Einstein Fellows will gain an understanding of the role\nof the Federal Government in the U.S. education enterprise, knowledge of\nresources available to students and educators, and broader perspectives on national\neducation issues that can be applied to the classroom or to leadership\npositions in their districts or elsewhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The 30-year-old AEF Program is managed by the U.S.\nDepartment of Energy (DOE) Office of Science\u2019s Office of Workforce Development\nfor Teachers and Scientists in collaboration with the sponsoring agencies and\nthe Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE). Current sponsoring\nagencies of the AEF Program include DOE, the Library of Congress, the\nDepartment of Defense, the US Geological Survey, the National Air and Space\nMuseum, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. In addition to sponsoring\nplacements at DOE headquarters, DOE sponsors five placements in U.S.\nCongressional offices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cCongratulations to Michael Vargas on his selection as an\nAlbert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellow. Mike has made immense\ncontributions to his students and to STEM education. Rolls-Royce is proud to\nsupport him as the AFA National Teacher of the Year, and we are thrilled to\nhear about his latest recognition,\u201d said Lt. Gen. Darryl Roberson USAF (Ret.),\nSenior Vice President for Business Development for Rolls-Royce Defense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rolls-Royce’s generous sponsorship of the AFA National\nTeacher of the Year program provides critical support to a program that dates\nback more than 25 years, the early 1990s when AFA first began recognizing\nclassroom teachers (K-12) for their innovative and successful instructional\nprograms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n