2008 Woodie Awards
Teaching grant awarded to UA
Samantha Sigmon
Issue date: 10/19/07 Section: News
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The National Science Foundation has awarded the UA a three-year, $749,856 grant. The grant will fund scholarships through the Robert Noyce Scholarship Program, and will be rewarded to students preparing to become teachers in mathematics or science, according to the press release.
The grant will be implemented next spring, said Lynn Fisher, communications director at Fulbright College.
"The scholarships will be available to three types of students: those who have completed an undergraduate degree in science, technology, engineering or mathematics and would like to teach but do not have the financial means to pursue teacher preparation; professionals seeking a career change; and students near the end of their junior year who demonstrate an aptitude for teaching and are considering it as a career. The program would support such students during their senior and master's years," Fisher said.
The scholarship students are expected to complete a Master of Arts in Teaching at the UA, to make them qualified to teach mathematics or science in Arkansas' secondary schools.
"The grant is important to the schools in Arkansas because it will send out better prepared teachers in math and science," Fisher said. "There is a pressing need for teachers in these fields."
Science and mathematics students funded by Noyce Scholarships will be required to participate in projects in which they design low-cost experiments that could be used in a classroom setting that are relevant to today's applied science and mathematics.
"After they complete all program requirements, scholarship recipients will take positions in high need schools, where they will be assisted in their initial years of teaching," said Gay Stewart, associate professor of physics in Fulbright College, according to the press release.
High-need schools are defined as 50 percent free or reduced lunch, at least 34 percent of teachers outside their field or higher attrition rate for teachers over the last three years, according to a brochure.
The grant will be implemented next spring, said Lynn Fisher, communications director at Fulbright College.
"The scholarships will be available to three types of students: those who have completed an undergraduate degree in science, technology, engineering or mathematics and would like to teach but do not have the financial means to pursue teacher preparation; professionals seeking a career change; and students near the end of their junior year who demonstrate an aptitude for teaching and are considering it as a career. The program would support such students during their senior and master's years," Fisher said.
The scholarship students are expected to complete a Master of Arts in Teaching at the UA, to make them qualified to teach mathematics or science in Arkansas' secondary schools.
"The grant is important to the schools in Arkansas because it will send out better prepared teachers in math and science," Fisher said. "There is a pressing need for teachers in these fields."
Science and mathematics students funded by Noyce Scholarships will be required to participate in projects in which they design low-cost experiments that could be used in a classroom setting that are relevant to today's applied science and mathematics.
"After they complete all program requirements, scholarship recipients will take positions in high need schools, where they will be assisted in their initial years of teaching," said Gay Stewart, associate professor of physics in Fulbright College, according to the press release.
High-need schools are defined as 50 percent free or reduced lunch, at least 34 percent of teachers outside their field or higher attrition rate for teachers over the last three years, according to a brochure.
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