Tennessee Earth Science Teachers

nd learning through workshops, presentations, and field trips. Every year, TEST plays a key role in presenting workshops and providing free materials for the classroom teacher at the Tennessee Science Teachers Association (TSTA) Conference. This past November, the TEST "Rock Box" Workshops were among the best-attended workshop at the conference. Almost 200 boxes with 24 specimens of rocks found in Tennessee., along with a handbook of activities, were handed out to elementary, middle school, and high school teachers. The Mid-Tennessee Gem & Mineral Society helps support the T.E.S.T programs. It originated as the legacy of a group of twelve teachers who participated in a Title II Workshop at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville entitled, "Field-Oriented Geology workshop for Secondary School Science Teachers". This group met in November 1990 at the Cedars of Lebanon State Park with Dr. Don Byerly (UT, Knoxville) for a weekend retreat for a final workshop evaluation. One consensus of the group was that it should stay in touch and meet again in the future. As it happened, this Cedars of Lebanon meeting conflicted with the 1990 annual TSTA meeting at Tennessee State University in Nashville. Not wishing this to happen again, it was a logical step to plan the next get together to be a special earth science session at the 1991 TSTA annual meeting. Members of the group also worked on making individual presentations at the TSTA meeting - a tradition that continues. In order to achieve some degree of recognition, the name TEST was adopted as the official name and a newsletter, The Test Tube, was initiated. Since 1991 TEST has held its annual meeting in conjunction with that of TSTA. The original twelve who left the legacy for TEST include:
Lynn Blair - Knoxville William Chamberlain - Nashville, Marilyn Childs - Kingston

Tommy Franklin - Madison, William Klima - Oak Ridge, Douglas Lakin - Oneida
Jim Marlowe - Ooltewah, Cynthia Rohrbach - Summertown, Kathy Trundle - Knoxville
Jim Watson - Chattanooga, Sylvia Wilkerson - Nashville, Norman Williams - Union City

In 1992 Dr. Michael Gibson (UT at Martin) joined Dr. Byerly as an instructor for another field-oriented workshop for K-12 Tennessee teachers, and subsequently he joined Byerly as informal advisors for TEST. By 1995 the group sought to establish its own destiny by drawing up a constitution and by-laws and electing its first slate of officers. TEST has continually grown in membership, has maintained a presence with TSTA, assists the Tennessee Department of Education with curricular and other earth science matters, and is active on regional and national levels with organizations that include, the National Association of Geoscience Teachers, the Geological Society of America, the American Geological Institute, and the National Earth Science Teachers Association. Dr. Anne Holmes joined TEST as an advisor in 2005


The following educators have served as president of Tennessee Earth Science Teachers over the years. Patricia Royal, Camden, 2009
Bryan Byrne, Columbia, 2008
Rose Lummus, Dyersburg, 2006 - 2008
Tina King, Mt. Juliet, 2004 - 2006
Virginia Cooter, Greeneville, 2002 - 2004
Greg Bailey, Knoxville, 2000 - 2002
Jane Skinner, Knoxville, 1998 - 2000
Jim Watson, Chattanooga, 1996-1998


TEST is for all teachers, K-12, who have an interest in the Earth. Important functions of TEST are to provide opportunities for teachers to network with one another regarding common matters and for teachers to polish their skills for interacting with their students through meetings, workshops, field trips and other activities.