President James Dlugos is set to announce that Saint Joseph’s
College of
Maine has been awarded a five-year, $1,444,983 grant from the National
Science Foundation’s
Track 1 Robert Noyce Scholarship and Stipend Program.
Governor Janet T. Mills will officiate at the announcement, which
will be made on Monday,
March 16th at 10:30 a.m. in the Baggot Street Cafe of
the Heffernan Center at Saint Joseph’s
College. The event will be open to media.
The Growing Future STEM Teachers in Maine (GFSTM) project will
provide two-year
scholarships of $25,500 per year to a total of 18 undergraduate
juniors and seniors. The program
will provide special supports as they pursue STEM degrees in
biology, mathematics, or physical
sciences-chemistry or environmental science, as well as secondary
education certification.
Ultimately, Noyce Scholars will work in high-need urban and rural
schools across Maine.
GFSTM is a collaboration between Saint Joseph’s and Southern Maine
Community College, and
a partnership with 7 school districts.
The seven GFSTM partner schools include: Deering High School,
Lewiston High School, and
Westbrook High School as urban schools; Bonny Eagle High School,
Windham High School,
Lake Region High School, and Old Town High School as rural
schools.
The Growing Future STEM Teachers in Maine project is designed to
increase the number of
secondary STEM teachers in an era when nearly a third of Maine
teachers are 55 years old and
nearing retirement, and to address the decades-old problem of
Maine’s shortage of STEM
teachers, in particular. By partnering with a community college
and seven high-need schools, the
Noyce project is designed to grow students from within those
sites. The project will also
encourage students from high-need school districts to return to
their communities as teachers and
leaders of the next generation of science and math educators.
“Saint Joseph’s College is deeply committed to educating the next
generation of STEM teachers
for Maine schools,” President Dlugos said. “STEM education remains
the foundation and the
number one priority for training Maine’s future skilled and
educated workforce. By working with
SMCC and schools across Maine, this project promises to draw more
students into STEM-Ed
degrees, provide teacher training with diverse populations, and
plant seeds with current high
school and middle school students to become future STEM teachers.”
Maine’s Congressional leaders expressed excitement about the
program. “In order for Maine’s
students to gain STEM skills, we need to make sure they have
dedicated and well-trained STEM
educators,” said Senators Susan
Collins and Angus King in a joint statement. “For
decades,
Saint Joseph’s College of Maine has been giving teachers the
tools they need to train the next
generation of STEM workers. This funding will help the college
expand its efforts and make an
even greater impact on Maine’s students and economy.”
Representative Chellie Pingree said: “As the number of STEM jobs in Maine increase
rapidly, we
need our students to be well-prepared for their future careers,”
said Pingree. “Increasing the
number of public school STEM teachers will go a long way towards
preparing our children for
the jobs of tomorrow. My thanks to the National Science
Foundation for recognizing how
important this STEM education is for the future of Maine’s
workforce and for funding this
work.”
Representative Jared Golden added: “Saint Joseph’s College does critical work to prepare young
Mainers for jobs in education and other careers, positions we need
to fill in our state. This grant
will provide Maine students with opportunities to develop valuable
skills that they’ll bring back
to the classroom and help address our STEM teacher shortage. I’m
proud to see the NSF
prioritize schools in places like Lewiston and Old Town to provide
Maine students with access to
good jobs and a quality education.”
Matthew J. Lokken, Principal of Lake Region Middle School, a
project partner, said: “We
appreciate that Saint Joseph’s College will address the shortage
of science teachers in our region.
In the last few years, we have not had a large pool of applicants
for posted STEM teacher
positions. It is essential that students at the middle school
receive rigorous and authentic learning
opportunities in STEM education for not only academic success and
opportunities, but to
effectively prepare the next generation of innovators.”
The first Noyce Scholars will be awarded scholarships in Fall
2020. The grant’s investigators
and creators are Dr. Patricia Waters, Assistant Professor of
Education, Dr. Emily Lesher,
Associate Professor of Science, and SMCC’s Dr. Daniel Moore,
Professor of Biological
Sciences.
“This partnership provides new opportunities for our students
who have a passion for math and
science,” said SMCC President Joe Cassidy. “Besides helping our
students, the program will
benefit Maine’s educational system by allowing us to do our part
in delivering a new generation
of STEM teachers where they are most needed. This builds upon
our mission of transforming
lives and communities through education and training.”
For more information about GFSTM, the scholarship criteria and
application process, see
www.sjcme.edu/stem-ed or contact Oliver Griswold at 917-617-2103 or ogriswold@sjcme.edu.
