Jay Vavra, Biology Teacher, Gary and Jerri-Ann Jacobs High Tech High, San Diego, CA Vavra is a high school biology teacher at High Tech High (HTH), a charter school that emphasizes project-based learning in San Diego. He has developed a series of innovative inquiry-based research projects involving collaborations with local biotechnology companies and the integration of humanities, math, and science. With his help, his students published four books on the urban ecology of San Diego Bay. He also led students on two expeditions to Africa as part of a collaboration with Tanzanian wildlife officials and post-graduate students from Kenya, Tanzania, Sudan, and Uganda to develop methods for assisting with species identification in order to combat the bushmeat crisis—the illegal trade of meat from protected species usually disguised as an unprotected source. For his innovative teaching practices, Vavra received the Genzyme-Invitrogen Biotech Educator of the Year Award, Amgen Science Teacher Award, and the National Education Association Christa McAuliffe Teaching Award. He has a Ph.D. degree in marine biology from the University of Southern California.