The Utica University Robert Noyce Education – STEM Pioneer Program (NESPP)
The Utica University Robert Noyce Education – STEM Pioneer Program (NESPP) aims to address the national shortage of qualified STEM educators who teach in high-need rural schools.
The program is designed to recruit, prepare, retain, graduate, and support talented undergraduate STEM majors from underrepresented groups who will pursue teaching careers in secondary schools. The program is committed to not only increasing the number of STEM teachers, but also increasing the diversity of STEM teachers in the region.
Utica University will grow a sustainable pipeline of STEM teachers by providing financial and educational support to 20 STEM undergraduate students (NESPP scholars) during their junior and senior year who are pursuing degrees in biology, biochemistry/chemistry, mathematics, geology, and physics while they are also preparing to become certified teachers in New York State. Once employed as teachers, NESPP graduates will be mentored by experienced school-based educators while also continuing their connection to the NESPP program as novice educators.
This program is supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 1949990
The following four objectives of Utica University’s NESPP program are aligned with the goals of the NSF’s Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program to recruit and prepare talented STEM majors to become highly effective elementary and secondary science and mathematics teachers in high-need local educational agencies:
- Recruit 20 highly qualified and diverse STEM students into the Noyce Education-STEM Pioneer Program to earn their secondary teaching certification to become math and science teachers and serve in high-need school districts.
- Retain and graduate well-prepared Noyce scholars, ready to instruct students from underserved populations.
- Place and retain 100% of Noyce scholars in high-need school districts.
- Advance STEM education through the development of original, student-created, inquiry-based laboratory investigations and mathematics lessons aligned to national learning standards.
Scholars will be awarded a $17,500 scholarship in both their junior and senior years.
All applicants must be U.S. citizens, nationals, legal permanent residents, or refugee aliens. All applicants must be full-time degree-track students. Consideration will be given to students with high financial need. Consideration will be given to students who will expand the diversity of NESPP scholars. Applicants must have a minimum cumulative 3.0 GPA. Participation in extracurricular and co-curricular STEM-related activities will also be considered. Letters from supervisors and/or instructors will attest to performance during professional, academic, or volunteer experience.
The selection process will ensure that the most qualified applicants are selected based on academic merit, with consideration given to financial need and increasing participation of students of color, persons with disabilities, and underrepresented genders. The NESPP application will be available online and will require at least one faculty recommendation. Following receipt of students’ application materials by February 1 each year, the PI and co-PIs, in consultation with the Admissions Office and Financial Aid Office, will review all scholarship applications. A shortlist will be generated from the application review, and an interview will be held with each finalist. This will allow members of the committee to interact directly with the students, to ask questions about their motivations and subject matter competencies, and to assess their communication skills. After the interviews, committee members will individually rank the students and then meet as a team to discuss their rankings and determine the final ranking and weighting of the candidates. Selected scholars will be notified by April 1 of each year. The need for teachers in each subject area may also be a consideration, in order to ensure that all scholars have the best chance to successfully secure job placement.
The Project Management Team includes:
Dr. Kathleen Cullen, Associate Professor and Chair of Education, who will serve as the PI. Dr. Cullen’s expertise in culturally responsive disciplinary instruction makes her particularly well qualified to lead this initiative. She received the 2015 Harold T. Clark Summer Fellowship Research Grant from Utica University and the 2014-2015 Independent Sector Higher Education Faculty and Staff Development Project Grant from the New York State Education Department. Her publications include a chapter on “Culturally responsive disciplinary literacy strategies instruction” in K.A. Munger (Ed.) Steps to Success: Crossing the Bridge Between Literacy Research and Practice, an open SUNY Textbook. As PI, Dr. Cullen will oversee all aspects of program implementation, report to the NSF, coordinate with the Utica University Offices of Admissions and Financial Aid, liaise with the external evaluator, and participate in dissemination efforts.
Dr. Michelle Boucher, Professor of Chemistry, will serve as co-PI. Dr. Boucher’s scientific research focuses on organosilicon chemistry, specifically the modification of naturally occurring sheet silicates as reinforcement or alignment tools. In addition to her scientific research, Dr. Boucher has a strong publication record in chemistry education. She has authored a chemistry instructor’s guide (Boucher, 2017), and a book chapter on co-curricular service learning through development of instructional laboratories (Boucher, 2019). Dr. Boucher is a member of the American Chemical Society and serves as Chair of the Undergraduate Programming Advisory Board. She is also the CSTEP faculty adviser at Utica University. Dr. Boucher will serve as faculty mentor to NESPP scholars majoring in chemistry, biochemistry, physics or geology. She will participate in recruitment and dissemination efforts. She will lead the community outreach recruitment and scholar events.
Dr. Brad Emmons, Associate Professor and Chair of Mathematics, will serve as co-PI. Dr. Emmons’ research focuses on modular forms and number theory. He also recently served as an outside reviewer for Mohawk Valley Community College’s Mathematics Department program review. He will lead in collaborating with the marketing and communications team to develop the website and all marketing and promotional recruitment materials. He will participate in recruitment and dissemination efforts and will mentor NESPP scholars who are mathematics majors.
Dr. Thomas M. McCarthy, Professor of Biology, will serve as co-PI. His research focuses on ecology and evolutionary biology of invertebrates. In addition to his scientific research, Dr. McCarthy served as reviewer for select chapters of a forthcoming new textbook edition of Invertebrates (Brusca, et al.). He is also a faculty contributor to Utica University’s CSTEP, developing curriculum and teaching a biology module. Dr. McCarthy will lead the implementation of the capstone research experience and will serve as a mentor for biology majors in NESPP.
Upon selection for the program, all scholars will meet with the PI and a representative from the Office of Financial Aid to be advised of all NESPP requirements. Students will sign a letter of commitment explaining the financial terms of the program and acknowledging their obligation to fulfill the service commitment (two years of teaching for each year of scholarship). Scholarship recipients will also be required to provide relevant statistical and demographic information pertaining to their employment and participate in program evaluation activities. This letter of commitment will serve as the basis for monitoring and compliance efforts by the Scholarship Committee, in collaboration with the Office of Financial Affairs.
While in the program, students who have problems that affect their participation in the Noyce Scholarship Program (e.g., failing to maintain academic standing, disciplinary or conduct challenges, deciding to drop the program, not securing a teaching position in a high-need school) must provide the scholarship committee with a written plan of action to rectify the problem. Students will be expected to resolve the problem and provide a follow-up report. If the problem remains unresolved, no further scholarship money will be disbursed to the student, and the terms of the letter of commitment will take effect.
Graduates will be monitored by the Scholarship Committee for the period of their teaching obligation and beyond. They will be required to provide a progress report and proof of employment in a high-need school each year and will be expected to participate in ongoing mentoring with the PI. As outlined in their scholarship letters, graduates who have problems related to fulfilling their service will be asked to provide to the Scholarship Committee a written plan of action to rectify the problems and submit a follow-up report. If the problem remains unresolved with no reasonable subsequent plan of action, the terms of the letter of commitment will be enforced. If graduates do not satisfy their teaching requirement within the allocated eight years, the scholarship amount associated with the unfulfilled teaching period will revert to a loan to be paid back. Special circumstances will be considered on a case-by-case basis with waivers potentially being granted for extreme hardship preventing the scholar from fulfilling the service requirement, such as military service requirements or a death in the immediate family.
Contact Us
Michelle Boucher
Michelle Boucher
Professor of Chemistry
(315) 792-3120
I would like to see logins and resources for:
For a general list of frequently used logins, you can also visit our logins page.