This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).
Responding to a nationwide concern about the future of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education, Towson University and the University System of Maryland are working to increase the number of new STEM teachers, and to decrease the rate at which new STEM teachers leave the teaching profession after just a few years. Towson University's Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program is designed to address both issues. The program is recruiting prospective teachers and awarding scholarships to 20 select juniors and seniors who are majoring in STEM fields and who intend to become K-12 teachers. In addition, the program is awarding stipends to 10 STEM professionals who are seeking to become certified to teach in the STEM disciplines. The program is designed to attract high caliber students whose financial needs might otherwise prohibit their entry into teacher preparation. Noyce scholars are being prepared to teach either middle school or high school in the areas of mathematics, biology, physics, chemistry, and earth-space science. Program funds are being used for recruitment activities, summer programs, induction activities and monitoring/evaluation. The selection of scholarship and stipend recipients is targeting those students who are most likely to succeed in the academic program and to flourish and, therefore, remain in a teaching career. This project is a collaborative effort of Towson University's College of Science and Mathematics and the College of Education, in partnership with Baltimore City Community College and the Baltimore City Public School System.
