A $1.2 million grant will offer science, technology, engineering and mathematics students an opportunity to teach
(Photo courtesy of fromthebarn.org)
By Rachelle Leduc, Staff Writer leduc13@up.edu
Ever consider being a math or science teacher?
Thanks to a $1.2 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF), the University can offer financial support to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) students to consider a career in education.
With the grant, the university will provide students interested in teaching with scholarship and internship opportunities through the Noyce Scholars and Interns Program.
The goal is to graduate more students who want to teach STEM subjects in high-needs schools, said Stephanie Salomone, mathematics professor and the program's leader.
The Noyce Scholars and Interns Program will begin on May 1, 2013 and has an approximate end date of April 30, 2018.
Applications for the Noyce program will be due early next semester, Salomone said.
The grant will be split between offering paid summer internships to freshmen and sophomores, and providing scholarship opportunities for junior and senior students.
Noyce intern positions are open to STEM undergraduate freshmen and sophomores. The paid internships are eight-weeks long. Students will work as teaching assistants in nearby high schools.
This summer, UP will offer eight students this opportunity, Salomone said.
Engineering student Daniel Grome, a junior, thinks promoting STEM education is a great idea.
"We need more knowledgeable teachers in engineering and the sciences because high school teachers are mostly education majors," he said.
While paid internships will be offered in the summer of 2013, beginning in the fall of 2013, the University will also begin to offer scholarships for junior and senior STEM students. Students will be given $10,000 a year for their junior and senior year and $20,000 for the 10-month MAT program.
In accepting the scholarship, each student will be obligated to serve two years as a teacher in a high-needs school for every year of scholarship, Salomone said.
In order to be considered for an internship or scholarship, students will be required to submit an application including a personal essay and one to three letters of recommendation. An interview will also be required of the applicant.
Students must be studying STEM subjects, including physics, chemistry, math, engineering, computer science, biology and environmental science. Twenty-five percent of the students selected will be math, computer science, and engineering majors. Students must have a 3.0 GPA said Salomone.
Salomone said she is especially excited to have a grant that will bring together students of different disciplines and further enhance the UP community.
"I don't think we've had partnerships within the different colleges before," Salomone said. "So this is really great for small schools!"
Mark Leibovich
