农夫导航 will recruit and prepare highly qualified science and mathematics
teachers for high-need Kentucky middle and high schools with the support of a five-year
$1.45 million grant from the National Science Foundation鈥檚 Robert Noyce program.
The grant will support 鈥淣oyce Knights Scholars鈥濃�攕tudents who wish to teach in the
STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) areas of physics, chemistry,
biology and mathematics.
鈥淚f you've been paying attention to everything swirling around in the news, there
is a major teacher shortage, especially in these critical areas of math and science,鈥�
said Dr. Kristin Cook, associate dean of Bellarmine鈥檚
Annsley Frazier Thornton School of Education and associate professor of Science Education.
The $1.45 million grant builds on a $125,000 Noyce Capacity Building Grant that the
School of Education received in 2019. With the initial grant, Bellarmine formed new
community partnerships, an early entry pathway to the
Master of Arts in Teaching program, recruitment pipelines and course-transfer plans that will ensure the success of
the Noyce Knights Scholars.
The community partners are JCPS Academies of Louisville, Jefferson Community and Technical College (JCTC) and the Kentucky Community & Technical College System (KCTCS), which will help to recruit students for the program; the Kentucky Science Center, which works with Bellarmine on an annual STEM Maker Fair and hosts Noyce Scholars
internships; the University of Kentucky, which has an established Noyce program and will assist with providing professional
learning experiences for Bellarmine鈥檚 Scholars; and the Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS), which will provide field experiences and be a potential source of full-time jobs
for graduates.
The five-year grant will support at least 25 students who can become Noyce Knights
Scholars through one of three pathways:
Undergraduate
Students must earn the undergraduate
bachelor鈥檚 degree in Secondary Education and Mathematics, which also fulfills the requirements for the bachelor鈥檚 degree in Mathematics. Noyce
Knights Scholars funding of $19,200 maximum is provided for the junior and senior
years for a maximum total amount of $38,400.
Graduate
Early Entry MAT Program: Undergraduates majoring in Physics, Chemistry, Math, Biology or Biochemistry/Microbiology
may enter the Master of Teaching program in their senior year and complete the MAT
by the end of their fifth year. Noyce Knights Scholars funding of $29,000 is provided
for the fifth year and covers graduate tuition and fees ($16,560), off-campus living
expenses ($10,000) and miscellaneous expenses ($2,440).
Traditional MAT Program: Students with undergraduate degrees in Physics, Chemistry, Math, Biology or Biochemistry/Microbiology
who enroll in the traditional two-year Master of Teaching program receive funding
of $29,000 in the second year, which covers full MAT graduate tuition and fees ($24,840)
for the two years plus $4,200 for miscellaneous expenses.
The benefits of the Noyce Knights Scholars Program extend far beyond the classroom,
Cook said.
Scholars will enjoy signature experiences such as the STEM Maker Fair, a festival
of creativity and innovation; all-expenses-paid trips to network and present at national
Noyce network conferences; and opportunities for paid internships at the Kentucky
Science Center. A STEM Teacher Education Learning Community will also be established
at Bellarmine.
鈥淭he students who get selected for funding will become part of a national network
of Noyce Scholars,鈥� Cook said. 鈥淭hey will be presenting alongside our team, and they
will be hopefully publishing with us. They will also have those professional learning
opportunities with the University of Kentucky that sustain them in their early years
of teaching, and we will work with JCPS to ensure they鈥檙e in selective placements
where they've got strong mentorship.鈥�
Dr. Akhtar Mahmood, professor of Physics, was the principal investigator for the $1.45
million grant; co-investigators are Dr. Kristin Cook; Dr. Jessica Ivy; associate professor
of Mathematics Education and chair of Initial Certification Programs; and Marlisa
Austin, interim assistant vice president of Academic Affairs at JCTC.
鈥溑┓虻己� is committed to using our faculty鈥檚 expertise to offer programs
that meet professional and community needs,鈥� said President Susan M. Donovan. 鈥淭he
Noyce Knights Scholars Program will help us to prepare excellent STEM teachers for
our community schools with the highest need. Those teachers, in turn, will prepare
math and science leaders for our community鈥檚 future. I commend our team for their
diligent work in securing this NSF grant.鈥�
To apply for the Noyce Knights Scholars Program, click on . Applications for the first cohort are due Aug. 19, 2022.