National Science Foundation awards CSUCI grant to cultivate math teachers

CSU Chanel Islands News

July 12, 2017 — CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) graduate and undergraduate students who would like to teach high school math will soon be able to apply for $10,000 scholarships, thanks to a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF).The NSF recently awarded CSUCI with $1,176,577 for a joint project entitled “California Coast Noyce Mathematics Partnership.”The program is intended to increase the number of high school teachers with strong science, technology, engineering, math (STEM) content knowledge to teach in high-need school districts.CSUCI’s Professor of Mathematics Ivana Grzegorczyk, Ph.D. applied for the grant in collaboration with CSU Monterey Bay (CSUMB), which also serves high-need school districts in the area. “What is happening right now in the United States is a shortage of mathematics teachers,” Grzegorczyk said.  “It’s the most acute need that we have. We’re importing teachers now, mainly from India because they speak English already, but from other countries as well.”Each Noyce scholar may receive $10,000 annually for up to two years to fund their education. In return, scholars agree to teach for two years in a “high needs” school district, one year for each year of funding.Seven CSUCI students were chosen to receive Noyce scholarships this year: juniors Natalie Huerta; Jerome Manion; Kyle McHugh; Jessica Silva and Dale Perizzolo will receive two years of funding for a total of $20,000 each.The other two, seniors Michael Ruiz and Ana Rodriguez, will receive a year of funding as they pursue their teaching credential for a total of $10,000 each.Grzegorczyk said the idea is to attract those who want to teach and do research in mathematics, and she wants to see graduates highly qualified to do both.  The collaboration with CSUMB allows scholars from both institutions to share research and build networks.California Coast Noyce scholars are chosen based on a number of criteria including a minimum 3.0 GPA in the ...

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