Saint Mary’s was proudly represented at the 2023 Midwest Annual Robert Noyce Conference held in St. Louis, Missouri this past weekend. The theme of the conference was “Retention and Success of Teachers and Students via Cultural Relevance in STEM Education.” Throughout the two days of the conference, research and insight was provided to aid university professionals and Noyce scholars in successful implementation of responsive teaching pedagogy and practices. Recruitment of preservice STEM teachers, urban education programming and STEM connections were also highlighted. Attending were Assistant Professor, Susan Baloun, School of Education and the Noyce Scholar, Evelyn Sanchez, Senior Secondary Mathematics Education major.
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.
