The STEM Education Center at WPI was recently awarded a $1,139,476 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to help recruit, train, and place Teacher Prep students in urban school environments. The Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program is a 5-year award designed to increase the availability of a quality STEM education to all students, especially those attending schools in economically disadvantaged school districts, through the preparation of K-12 teachers with science, math, or engineering degrees.
Part of this grant-funded training involves partnering with local, urban, community-based organizations to provide 6- to 8-week summer internships to first- or second-year WPI students interested in exploring a career in teaching. This summer there were 4 Teacher Prep students chosen as Noyce Interns for the following youth-serving programs: Recreation Worcester - Division of Youth Opportunities; Girls Inc. of Worcester; the Latino Education Institute (LEI); and the Boys & Girls Club of Fitchburg and Leominster.
As another part of the Noyce grant, 4 juniors and seniors in total were selected as Noyce Scholars for the 2021-2022 school year. As Noyce Scholars these students have committed to teaching 2 years in a high-need, urban district for each year that they receive the scholarship award. Congratulations to the award recipients Emma Beeler, Patrick E. McCarthy, Kersten L. Prince, and Simon D. Rees.