Eastern Michigan University’s Honors College has
received a $749,000, five-year grant from the National
Science Foundation to help provide scholarships to teacher
education students majoring in science, technology, engineering
and math (STEM).
“This grant will provide scholarship support and
curriculum linkages for secondary education students majoring
in science, math, technology and engineering,” said
Jim Knapp, director of the honors college. “The idea
is to increase the number and retention of qualified science
and math teachers in high need districts.”
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Knapp |
EMU will partner with Willow Run, Ypsilanti, Lincoln Consolidated,
Inkster, Wayne, Westland and Washtenaw Intermediate school
districts.
“This program provides scholarships for two years,
up to $13,000 a year, to teachers who agree to teach in
a partner or other high need district for two years for
every one year they receive the scholarship,” Knapp
said.
EMU’s program will be called Developing Urban Education
Teachers in STEM Subjects (DUETSs). It is part of the national
Robert Noyce Scholarship Program.
Knapp said that the grant proposal grew out of the need
for STEM teachers and two of EMU’s unique programs,
Minority Achievement Retention and Success Program (MARS),
and Creative Scientific Inquiry Experience (CSIE).
Knapp said DUETSs will provide scholarship support to
10 students a year for the first four years and five students
in the fifth year.
Recipients of the scholarships will have been admitted
to the College of Education teacher prep program; have
a 3.0 grade point average; have completed 56 credit hours;
and be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident alien.
Knapp said he hopes to have the first selections for DUETSs
this fall.
“The idea is give this money away this year to help
students,” said Knapp. “This money is going
right to students. More than $600,000 of the grant will
go directly to students.”
“This is another piece in our ongoing effort to
focus on STEM education and take advantage of our strategic
position,” Knapp said.
