As part of the National Science Foundation programming, Saint Mary’s University was proudly represented at the 2024 Annual Robert Noyce Summit held in Washington D.C. a few weeks ago. The national conference serves to offer professional development and networking opportunities to Noyce Scholars as well as information gathering for program personnel. The theme of this year’s summit was, Preparing and Retaining a Skilled and Compassionate STEM Teacher Workforce for High-Need Schools. Throughout the two days of the conference, research and insight was provided to aid university professionals and Noyce scholars in successful implementation of rigorous, rich STEM experiences to boost student engagement and academic success at secondary and post-secondary institutions. Some of the instructional sessions that were attended included: Culturally and Linguistically Sustaining Pedagogy, Agrovoltaics, mathematical modeling through software applications, and exploring curriculum adaptations with educational technology courses specifically designed for STEM preservice teachers. Attending were Assistant Professor Susan Baloun, School of Education and the Noyce Scholars; Evelyn Sanchez (recently graduated Mathematics Education major), Hope Clegg (Junior Life Science Education Major), and Sam Gerdts (SGPP Graduate student, Life Science Education).
The ISTEP-Noyce project at Saint Mary’s University is designed to increase the number of secondary (5-12) STEM teachers from diverse backgrounds committed to teaching in high-need schools in southeastern Minnesota through financial support, training, and mentoring. Current Noyce Scholars receive scholarship support, enriched experiential learning opportunities and mentoring beyond graduation.
