To encourage students to enter STEM education, Geneva is offering the Noyce Grant. There are many education facilities that are in high need of STEM educators for grades K-12 grade. The purpose of this grant is to provide students with financial assistance and stability during their pursuit of their particular STEM degree. The hope is to open students' minds to the possibility of using their STEM degree to educate K-12 grade in their future careers.
Over the span of five years, Geneva will recruit and retain 22 Geneva students who are majoring in biology, chemistry, engineering, math, or physics for acceptance of the Noyce Grant. This adds up to four to five accepted students per school year. In addition to each student’s STEM concentration, students must add secondary education to their plans of study. Students will be well equipped to teach STEM subjects in a K-12 school district, thereby earning a conditional scholarship (up to $14,000 per year for two years) from the National Science Foundation under the Robert Noyce Grant. Upon acceptance, each student is required to commit to teaching in a high-needs school district for four years after graduation to have the loan by the Noyce Grant forgiven.
Geneva College Provost and Professor of Chemistry Dr. Melinda Stephens ’93 says, “The introduction of this program aligns with the heart of our mission to equip students to serve God and neighbor. It also fits well with our strategic plan, by focusing on improving student retention and completion, increasing financial support for students, and better connecting students’ academic experience with their chosen vocation. The students will be equipped to go where they are truly needed and to make an impact by serving in our local area.”
In order to prepare each student for the work ahead of them, the curriculum will be modified to incorporate three education classes. By incorporating these three education classes, each student will be drawn to the importance of recognizing teaching with poverty. This not only helps the students build a philosophy of education, but it will also inform each students’ attitudes and beliefs about systemic and generational poverty. This will overall craft teaching strategies and classroom management strategies that scaffold the learning process for all students.
Another component of the Noyce Grant ensures that the recruited students are involved with research in their STEM studies and in education. The content area research will vary from student to student, but in education, all of the grant scholars will participate in tutoring projects face to face, as well as using a newly created app called CircleIn. Adding to the educational research, the scholars will create a survey to collect data on the attitudes, beliefs, and customs of successful teaching in high-needs school districts.
Retention of these STEM scholars will be aided by a Collaborative Professional Development Circle in which teachers from New Brighton School District and professors from Geneva College will meet for panel discussions on teaching STEM subjects four times each year. These discussions will deal with problems that teachers face and ways to solve them so that Geneva students will be better prepared for entering the teaching field upon graduation.
The Noyce scholars will have periodic video conferencing meetings with their Geneva professors for two years after they leave Geneva. The novice teachers will send video clips of their teaching to the Geneva mentors so that they can get feedback on their progress. With Geneva professors mentoring the Noyce grant scholars from graduation through their first years of teaching, the hope is to retain these newly established STEM educators through the provision of extra feedback, encouragement and the continual flow of helpful resources.
The writers of this grant are the Principal Investigator, Geneva professor, Dr. Adel Aiken, and Co-Principal Investigators, professors at Geneva, Mrs. Kathy Austin, Chemistry, and Mr. Ed Dambach, Math. Austin and Dambach are especially suited to the writing of this grant because they taught for many years at the high school level and have first-hand experience to share with our students. Other Co-Principle Investigators that will be helping with research activities and the Collaborative Professional Development Circle are Dr. Rodney Austin and Professor Marjorie Tobias. Professors from the Education Department who will become mentors and supervisors to these scholars that will be receiving the Noyce Grant are Dr. Deana Mack, Dr. Karen Schmalz, and Professor Michal Wargo.
Upon the recent establishment of the Noyce Grant, Geneva College announces the first five scholars for the 2020-2021 school year. Geneva College Juniors, Drew Cramer (Mathematics with Secondary Education), Amy McAfoose (Mathematics with Secondary Education), Dionna Pearce (Mathematics with Secondary Education), Peyton Schell (Mathematics with Secondary Education) and Senior, Emily Shuttleworth (Double Majoring in Mechanical Engineering and Math Education). By the time each student graduates, they will all be certified to teach Math, grades 7-12 grade.
Dionna Pearce, Junior at Geneva, is majoring in Mathematics with Secondary Education. Ever since fourth grade, she has wanted to become a teacher. In school, Dionna’s teachers motivated her to try harder and to do her best. This inspired her to be that motivation for other students. Dionna states, “I hope to motivate my future students and encourage them to do their best even if they don’t enjoy a subject. I know that many of my future students will most likely have a negative view on math, but I hope that I can make the material engaging and change those negative viewpoints.” After graduating, Dionna’s plan is to find a teaching position in a public school.
Junior, Amy McAfoose is majoring in Secondary Math Education. Combining her passion and love of mathematics, it was clear to Amy that she should study Secondary Math Education. Even looking past the generous financial assistance, this program holds seminars, research, and activities that Amy hopes will enable her to be a better educator in the future. Amy is looking forward to the experiences and knowledge that she will gain throughout the course of this program. Although the future is unclear, she aspires to teach in a high school and show students that she truly cares about them in every part of their lives. “I cannot think of a more fulfilling career than being able to impact young people and help them grow. It is my goal to learn as much as possible in order to become a better educator for my future students, and I believe this grant will help me to do so.”
Peyton Schell is a Junior at Geneva, currently enrolled as a math education major. Peyton chose teaching so that he could have the chance to change someone else’s life for the better, being a role model for his student and giving them guidance when needed. Through the assistance of the Noyce Grant, Peyton feels like a heavy financial weight has been lifted off his back. He is so grateful for being selected for this grant. “After graduation, I hope to be teaching some place but where that is, I’m not sure. God has a plan for me that I haven’t yet figured out, but I’m not in any rush to understand that plan yet.”
Emily Shuttleworth is a senior, double majoring in mechanical engineering and math education. Emily chose to major in engineering because she enjoys problem solving and is interested in a career that will mentally challenge her. However, she has been assisting people in their understanding of various subjects her whole life and added a math education major this summer because her true passion has always been teaching. The Noyce Grant has been an answer to prayer from the moment it became a possibility for her. Emily had planned on taking an extra semester of college to finish up her engineering degree but had no idea how she would pay for it. Aside from finances, the Noyce Grant has given her the opportunity to answer the calling God has for her. "Little did I know that He has been using my entire college experience and all of my involvement to direct me to where I am now headed with the Noyce Grant. That is, to whatever school district needs my help after graduation. I don't have a specific plan; I will go where God sends me.”
Like any student in college, one’s liberty to be educated in the field of their choice may not coincide with their financial reality. In order to pursue a quality college education, a student must have a level of monetary stability. It is because of this that Geneva College offers all STEM majors interested in educating in their particular field the possibility to receive this newly established Noyce Grant.
To learn more about how pre-service teacher preparation at Geneva College, contact Admissions at admissions@geneva.edu or 800-847-8255.
-Abby Forton '22
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Photo by ThisisEngineering RAEng on Unsplash
Opinions expressed in the Geneva Blog are those of its contributors and do not necessarily represent the opinions or official position of the College. The Geneva Blog is a place for faculty and contributing writers to express points of view, academic insights, and contribute to national conversations to spark thought, conversation, and the pursuit of truth, in line with our philosophy as a Christian, liberal arts institution.
Mar 10, 2021
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