Gaby has been dedicated to helping her students develop problem-solving skills and inquiry-based learning abilities that will aid them throughout their careers in chemistry. In designing her lesson plans, she takes into account various learning styles and abilities so that she can provide learning opportunities for students at all levels.
Her philosophy is that students learn best from lessons based on real life experiences. To this end, she has developed a problem-based learning activity that involves students performing tabletop chemistry demonstrations at The Creative Discovery Museum in Chattanooga. This project has had a tremendous impact on the students' motivation, Gaby says.
Gaby believes that competitions offer students some important challenges that they don't face in the classroom. With her encouragement, several of Gaby's students have won awards in their Regional Science Fairs and some have earned scholarships.
In addition to earning a DuPont Fellowship for Women and Minorities in Chemistry, she has been named C.W. Keenan Outstanding Chemistry Graduate Teaching Assistant, has won the Hoechst Celanese Award for Outstanding Science Outreach and has been named the Chattanooga local ACS section chemistry teacher of the year.
Gaby received her B.A and M.S. in chemistry from the University of Tennessee.
The ACS Regional Award in High School Chemistry Teaching recognizes educators who challenge and inspire their students, provide high-quality instruction, and participate in extracurricular activities that stimulate young people's interest in chemistry.