Pioneer Hi-Bred Honors Teacher with AgriSCIENCE Award

Wisconsin teacher receives award for teaching excellence


DES MOINES, Iowa. – DuPont business Pioneer Hi-Bred and the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) honored Rick Henningfeld, agriscience educator, Big Foot High School, Walworth, Wis., with the first George Washington Carver AgriSCIENCE Teachers Award. The award was presented during NSTA’s national conference in San Francisco, March 10-13.

“Pioneer views education as critical to support and drive innovation, so we are very pleased to recognize Mr. Henningfeld for his outstanding accomplishments,” says Michelle Gowdy, Community Investment senior manager. “He’s used his skills and experience to provide excellent learning opportunities for his students, both in and outside of the classroom,” said Gowdy.

“Mr. Henningfeld is a humble, yet passionate teacher, student advisor, leader and a teacher’s teacher,” says Francis Eberle, NSTA executive director. “He is an exemplar of the FFA mission to make a positive difference in the lives of students by developing their potential for premier leadership, personal growth and career success through agriculture education.”

Since 1986, the DuPont Office of Education has collaborated on a variety of NSTA projects and programs, such as conference workshops, short courses and the DuPont Challenge Science Essay Competition. This newest award recognizes the member of the DuPont National AgriScience Teacher Ambassador Academy who advocates inquiry-based science teaching among all educators and inspires students to pursue science excellence. It also honors George Washington Carver (1864 -1943), agricultural scientist, researcher, inventor and teacher. Carver also was a friend and mentor of Pioneer founder Henry A. Wallace.

In recognition of his accomplishments, Henningfeld received a $5,000 monetary gift, a $500 teaching grant for inquiry-based materials, expense-paid trips to the 2011 NSTA National Conference and the National Association of Agricultural Educators (NAAE) annual conference later this year.

“I never imagined I’d receive such a prestigious award from a great and familiar company,” says Henningfeld. “Receiving a letter from the president of Pioneer took me back to my childhood on the dairy farm, where trucks would drop off Pioneer seed bags and my brothers and I would play on them,” he says.

Headquartered in Arlington, Va., the National Science Teachers Association is a member-driven organization, 60,000-strong. We publish books and journals for science teachers from kindergarten through college. Each year we hold four conferences on science education: three regional events in the fall and a national gathering in the spring. We provide ways for science teachers to connect with one another. We inform Congress and the public on vital questions affecting science literacy and a well-educated work force. And with your help, we can do even more.

Pioneer Hi-Bred, a DuPont business headquartered in Des Moines, Iowa, is the world’s leading developer and supplier of advanced plant genetics, providing high-quality seeds to farmers in more than 90 countries. Pioneer provides agronomic support and services to help increase farmer productivity and profitability and strives to develop sustainable agricultural systems for people everywhere. Science with Service Delivering Success™.

DuPont is a science-based products and services company. Founded in 1802, DuPont puts science to work by creating sustainable solutions essential to a better, safer, healthier life for people everywhere. Operating in more than 90 countries, DuPont offers a wide range of innovative products and services for markets including agriculture and food; building and construction; communications; and transportation.