King’s College Hosts STEM Workshop for Educators, Continues Noyce Scholarship program
WILKES-BARRE, PA – King’s College is offering a professional development workshop, the Technology Exploration adn Expansion for Noyce Scholars Institute, on October 19th and 20th in the Sheehy-Farmer Campus Center. The event is designed for math and science educators in Pennsylvania, new York, and New Jersey and focuses on integrating robotics into STEM curriculum.
The two-day institute, supported by a $1.45 million grant from the National Science Foundation’s Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program, will provide participants with hands-on experience creating STEM learning modules and utilizing robotics as a teaching tool. A unique component of the workshop will be the prospect for participants to deliver lessons to a visiting group of high school students.
Completion of the workshop earns participants a $450 stipend and a programmable robot kit for classroom use. Registration is limited to 40 educators. The workshop is a collaborative effort between King’s College and the Northeast Noyce Professional Learning Network, with support from the University of Rochester.
“This workshop is for anyone with a passion for STEM education,” stated Dr. Elise Heiss, Associate Professor of Chemistry at King’s College. “We want to help teachers thrive and create engaging,enriching learning experiences for all students.”
the NSF grant awarded to King’s College funds a thorough program to recruit, train, and mentor future K-12 math and science teachers for northeastern Pennsylvania school districts. The scholarship covers tuition, fees, books, and other educational costs for aspiring STEM educators for up to two years, and provides annual salary stipends upon triumphant employment.
Since the Fall 2024 semester, King’s College has welcomed six Noyce scholars, with additional students expected in Spring 2025. Interested applicants are encouraged to visit www.kings.edu/noyce for more information.
The grant, the largest faculty-initiated grant in the College’s history, was secured by a team led by Dr. Elise Heiss, Dr. Karen McCready, Dr.Andrew Wojcik, Dr. Dara Soljaga (Associate Dean of Education), and Michelle Giovagnoli (Director of Institutional and Academic Grants). The project is supported under NSF grant #2320386.
