Experiencing Bluetooth® issues with Go Direct® sensors on Chromebooks? Get help here.

Sharing ideas and inspiration for engagement, inclusion, and excellence in STEM

From Summer Science Camps to Teacher Training: Dr. Ann Nalley Shares Why Vernier Technology Is the Future of STEM Education

Dr. Ann Nalley, a chemistry professor at Cameron University in Oklahoma and former president of the American Chemical Society (ACS), has dedicated her career to empowering both students and teachers through hands-on science education. With more than 50 years of experience teaching freshman and organic chemistry, leading summer academies for K–12 students, and training teachers at the university and through workshops, she has become a passionate advocate for integrating Vernier technology into classrooms and labs.

“I have everything Vernier makes. And I’m always thinking of new things I want them to make,” Nalley laughs.

Teaching High School Teachers to Hit the Ground Running with Technology

For over a decade, Nalley has been deeply involved in teaching high school and middle school teachers in Oklahoma, helping them integrate modern technology into their classrooms. In particular, Nalley is involved with the Life Ready Center, a former middle school in the Lawton community that was converted into a collaborative educational resource hub serving high school students, teachers, and teachers-in-training with on-site programs, courses, and resources.

“It’s great, we can bring all the teachers to this outreach center and teach both physics and chemistry teachers how to use all the Vernier interfaces and sensors in different applications.”

Nalley emphasizes the importance of training teachers with hands-on probeware.  “It’s the way of the future, I think. Students can get the data fast, easily, and directly on their phones now. And our teachers at the high school level need to be taught this because they need to keep up with these kids that are coming in. That’s why we’re doing the workshops.”

Why Vernier Works for Students and Educators

Adopting Vernier tools is a low-stakes, high-reward decision for Nalley. “They’re easy to learn, easy to use. The students can use them with their phones or the LabQuest® 3,” she points out, highlighting the adaptability of Vernier technology in modern STEM labs. “We used to spend so much time collecting data we wouldn’t have time to analyze it—now you can do everything  in one class period, it’s very efficient.”

Nalley is also keenly aware of how Vernier tools prepare students for careers in science and beyond. “A lot of our kids are going on to become lab technicians for hospitals. We have a really big lab tech program here, and they all need to learn how to analyze the data. So if they can learn how to analyze data in one of our organic labs, they will be better prepared to enter the job market. If they can learn it for one instrument, they are prepared to learn it for another.”

Vernier’s commitment to innovation is also something Nalley appreciates: “I looked at lots of different options in the beginning and we haven’t been disappointed at all. Vernier keeps up—you guys change things, and you’re willing to adapt.” 

In particular, she values Vernier’s commitment to improving sustainability. Nalley has eliminated outdated tools like mercury thermometers in favor of Vernier’s wide-range temperature probes. “Vernier is green chemistry in action. We’ve completely eliminated mercury. It’s efficient and the real-time data reduces a lot of waste.”

Summer Spotlight: Creating a Lake Profile with Wireless Probes and Solar-Powered Boats

Nalley’s passion for hands-on science extends beyond the regular school year. She also leads two grant-funded summer programs: Applied Mathematics and Aerospace Engineering Summer Academy for middle school girls and NanoExplorers for high school students. These programs give students the opportunity to engage in real-world scientific research, with water quality analysis being a major focus.

One of Nalley’s recent projects involved creating solar-powered boats to carry Vernier wireless probes across the Cameron campus lake, allowing students to collect data from the shore. “We had three different designs: an airboat, speedboat, and submarine that students built. And of course, I built a sled for the wireless Vernier Go Direct® probes, with tubes and styrofoam, for the boat to carry around the lake,” she explains.

Nalley and her 2024 summer academy students test out solar-powered boats they designed and engineered at the Cameron University campus lake. Image courtesy of The Lawton Constitution

“This works great for a small lake because the kids stand on the bank, and one student has their LabQuest 3 tuned into turbidity, and the others tuned into pH, dissolved oxygen, and temperature—so they can measure that and create a water quality profile.”

Because one side of the lake has a fountain, students can observe quite a dramatic change in dissolved oxygen levels. “It actually exceeded the maximum permissible level of oxygen in the air because it’s supposed to be nine parts per million, and they were actually getting 10 parts per million! So exciting for the kids to see in real time.” 

Nalley recalls another fun moment from the project: “But even better than that, we had this whole herd of turtles following behind our little solar boat and Vernier trailer. It was so cute.”

The Go Direct Optical Dissolved Oxygen Probe and the Go Direct Temperature Probe travel by solar-powered water drone prototypes while delivering real-time data to students on shore. Image courtesy of Cameron University

Looking to the Future of STEM Education

Nalley reflects on the evolution of her summer programs over the years and is particularly excited about the potential of solar-powered drones with remote data-logging capabilities. In the early days, profiling the lake required manually riding a boat around to collect samples from different locations. Later, when wireless probes were released, they developed a prototype affectionately called the “Moses Basket,” a styrofoam float they pulled across the lake with ropes. This project continued to evolve, leading to the use of student-built, solar-powered boats to propel the probeware across the lake this summer.

Image courtesy of Cameron University

Looking ahead, Nalley sees the future of teaching water quality analysis in advanced wireless technology. “That’s the future of how students are going to characterize lake water. Right now, we’re challenged by the limited distance that those wireless sensors can send data. But imagine sending out wireless probes across the lake to do a full profile with GPS data—that’s where we’re heading.”

Nalley, who’s directed 34 summer academies, continues to radiate curiosity and enthusiasm for experimenting with new technologies and watching how students respond.

“We have a lot of fun with it, and it’s exciting to see the kids’ reactions. Who knows—maybe one of these kids will end up designing the drone that brings it all together.”


Learn more about how Vernier solutions support high school and college chemistry education. Questions about our sensors? Reach out to chemistry@vernier.com or call 888-837-6437.

Share this Article

SAVE/SHARE YOUR CART