Wafa Khalil, Ph.D., is currently a National Board-certified educator at MAST Academy in Miami, Florida, where she teaches two high school-level courses on solar energy and alternative resources using curricula that she developed. She also teaches an Intel-inquiry and research course, and serves as the chairperson of the mathematics and science department at MAST. She is the author of Energy for Sustainability: Solar Energy and Alternative Resources (pending publication), a textbook that parallels the innovative and integrated hands-on/minds-on curricula that she teaches in class and emphasizes solar energy as a viable solution for the ever-increasing demand for energy. She has written and received several grants that have supported the design and implementation of her progressive solar energy program.

Dr. Khalil uses an inquiry-based approach to enhance her students’ understanding of and enthusiasm for the principles of solar energy. She provides numerous opportunities for her students to apply these principles to harness the sun’s heat and electricity, including the design and construction of solar products. Since 1996, she has worked with her students to organize annual city-wide events, such as symposia, celebrations, and debates, all focused on solar energy and alternative resources. These events have been highly praised and well-attended, and have included notable guests, such as state representatives, city commissioners, school board members and administrators, local businesses, educators, and the media.

Dr. Khalil conducts hands-on workshops at local, state, and national levels to share her curricula with other educators.  She has been recognized as Teacher of Year by the Miami Dade-Dade County Public Schools Science and Engineering Fair (2010) and MAST (2006), and was a finalist for Teacher of the Year for Dade County, FL (2002). In 2005, a minor planet was named (21387) Wafakhalil in Recognition of Achievement as a Science Research Mentor. She also received the 2004 Intel International Excellence in Teaching Award, and was a State Finalist for the National Science Foundation Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching in both 2000 and 2001.

Dr. Khalil holds a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of Claude Bernard-Lyon in France. She graduated from the University of Beirut in Lebanon with a Master’s degree in Science Education and a Bachelor’s degree in Biology. For over ten years, Dr. Khalil conducted biomedical research at the University of Miami-School of Medicine. Her love for teaching led her to join Dade County Public Schools.  She believes that education is a secured investment; once acquired, it cannot be taken away. Her ultimate goal is to cultivate the talents and genius of all her students, and enable them to be active learners, creative and critical thinkers.

 

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