Shad STU
Program Director
Ian Fogarty, BSc, BEd, MSc
Physics and chemistry educator
Ian Fogarty (he/him) teaches Chemistry, Physics and Math to 16-18 year old students at Riverview High School, a public school on the east coast of Canada. He left the research world designing anti-cancer radiopharmaceuticals to innovate how we learn and teach science. Some of his innovations include the creation of the first “Collaborative Classroom” that has more than one SMARTBoard in a classroom and an assessment model that has no grades until the end, which allows students to personalize their learning and focus on competencies.
He was the first Canadian to make the podium at the Microsoft Global Teacher event, to win the NSTA STEM Educator and FETC STEM Awards. In 2019, he was a top 50 finalist at the Global Teacher Prize (Dubai). His transdisciplinary projects won a top 10 in the world for sustainability in education (LA), top 100 in the world of innovation in education (Helsinki) and an Editor’s Choice award at the World Maker Fair (NYC).
His work has been published in over 9 books and he has contributed to 4 books and 3 Master’s Level textbooks in education and art. His most recent projects has students learn engineering by 3D printing and soldering lights for those living in light poverty (www.currentgeneration.org). Other projects use art to help physics students befriend the nervousness of exploring the edge of the unknown and is the subject of this master class at the largest teacher summit in the world. Ian owes much of this success at high school to his time with Shad, where he started in 2006.
Ale Navas
Experiential Learning Programs Coordinator at St. Thomas University
Alexa (she/her), who usually goes by Ale, works at St. Thomas University (STU) in Fredericton, New Brunswick, where she coordinates the internship program, organizes fun volunteering activities, and helps students connect with employers across the province. She completed a B.A. with honors in International Relations and a major in Economics in 2021 at STU, and she went on to work at the Multicultural Association of Fredericton as an Employment Coach. She joined STU shortly after, in 2022. Alongside her work at the university, she is currently completing a Graduate Diploma in Post-Secondary Education (International Education) at Memorial University.
Ale is looking forward to welcoming Shad participants on the beautiful STU campus! Ale is passionate about all-things entrepreneurship, and loves to chat with like-minded individuals who have tons of creative ideas. Aside from her official duties at the university, she is also the Faculty Advisor for the Enactus STU students, who have won multiple awards, including the Regional Championship in 2023. Ale’s hobbies include dog-sitting, working out, and baking – which she has successfully used as a venue for learning more about entrepreneurship by participating in local markets to sell her own homemade cookies.
