Research & Sponsored Programs Report ResearchAnnual201819-electronic | Page 12

From left to right: Hailee Hawkins, Dr. John Pecore,
Thao Nhan, Alyssa Borelli, Kara Montgomery, Haley Vaughan
Grant funds education of
students pursuing STEM
teaching careers
A five-year $1.3 million grant from
the National Science Foundation
is funding the education of
University of West Florida stu-
dents pursuing a middle- or
high-school teaching career in
the fields of science, technology,
engineering and mathematics
(STEM).
The funds will be enough for at
least 18 STEM majors to become
Robert Noyce Scholars and will
pay for their costs to attend UWF
during their junior and senior
years, said Dr. John Pecore,
an associate professor in the
Department of Teacher Education
and Educational Leadership.
To be eligible for the scholarships,
students must have and maintain
a minimum 2.75 GPA, must be
enrolled in a UWF-Teach major
as a junior or senior at the time
of award, have a minimum grade
of C- and submit two letters of
recommendation.
Five scholarships totaling almost
$60,000 have already been
awarded to students in just the
second year of the program.
Those five award recipients have
far exceeded the minimum GPA
requirements with an average
GPA of over 3.75, Pecore said.
working to recruit highly qualified
majors into this program.” stipends
travel.
UWF-Teach students graduate
in four years with a bachelor’s
degree in a STEM field and Florida
professional teacher certification
for grades 6-12. Once the students complete
that course, they are eligible
for summer internships at loca-
tions such as the Navarre Beach
Marine Science Station, the
National Flight Academy and the
Pensacola Mess Hall.
Pecore said faculty begin re-
cruiting students in freshman and
sophomore years for the UWF-
Teach program. Students also
have to successfully complete
the course, Exploring Inquiry
Teaching, or an equivalent course
and pass the General Knowledge
Test of the Florida Teacher
Certification Examinations to be
eligible for the scholarships.
“The purpose of Exploring Inquiry
Teaching is to really learn about
education and what it’s like to be
a teacher,” Pecore said. “What we
try to do is help students to make
an informed decision on whether
they want to teach or not.”
Part of the course requires stu-
dents to observe teachers in a
classroom setting for between
15 to 30 hours. The grant funds
for
those
students’
Pecore said, by the end of their
sophomore year, students will
decide whether they want to
pursue the Noyce scholarships.
“Those students who do accept
the scholarship portion commit
to teach in a high-needs school
district for two years for every
year of (the scholarship) award,”
he said.
This material is based upon
work supported by the National
Science Foundation under grant
No. (1660615).
Any opinions, findings and con-
clusions or recommendations
expressed in this material are
those of the author(s) and do not
necessarily reflect the views of
the National Science Foundation.
“The goal is to fullfill the need
for math and science teachers in
the region,” Pecore said. “We’re
Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program
Student Kara Montgomery helps seventh
grade Launchpad students work on a
Newtonian car project at Creative Learning
Academy in Pensacola.
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2018-2019 Research Annual Report