In this project Columbus State University is developing the Columbus Region Academy of Future Teachers of STEM (CRAFT-STEM). Elements of the project include a summer STEM Honors camp experience for high-school students, internships for first- and second-year students, Robert Noyce scholarships for 19 juniors and seniors majoring in STEM who are preparing to teach secondary school science or mathematics, and a Teaching Connection Seminar, which encourages preservice teachers to identify links between their STEM major and topics they expect to teach in their future classrooms. The program dovetails with existing resources for outreach, including a regional mathematics collaborative, an environmental learning center, and a space science center. On-campus academic support is available through the Math and Science Learning Center, and the State of Georgia has designated Columbus State University as one of 6 recipients of funding in its STEM II initiative. The science camp and the Teaching Connection Seminar are unique features of this project, which expects to quadruple the number of trained STEM teachers to serve an area of high need. Located near Fort Benning, the project also recruits students from among military dependents and retirees.
