Amy Heaton, Sarah Woidill and Anna Lewis have been selected to participate in Elon's Noyce Scholars Program, which comes with a $21,900 scholarship for each of their final two years at the university.
Amy Heaton of Bethesda, Md., will pursue a degree in mathematics with teacher licensure; Sarah Woidill, a biochemistry major from Robbinsville, N.J., will pursue teacher licensure in science education; and Anna Lewis of Holly Springs, N.C., will pursue both a physics and science education major with a minor in astronomy.
Their program will be supplemented with special experiences, including extra mentoring by university and secondary-school educators during both their undergraduate experiences as well as in their early years of teaching.
A $1.2 million grant from the National Science Foundation is supporting the program at Elon University and will bolster the number of math and science teachers Elon graduates in the years ahead through a partnership with the Alamance-Burlington School System and Elon Academy. The five-year NSF funding at Elon covers scholarships of $21,900 each year for 18 students in three cohorts during both their junior and senior years. In exchange for the scholarships, students agree to work four years in high-need school systems.
The national Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program provides funds to institutions of higher education “to support scholarships, stipends, and academic programs for undergraduate STEM majors and post-baccalaureate students holding STEM degrees who earn a teaching credential and commit to teaching in high-need K-12 school districts.”
In addition to the scholarship program, Noyce funds support 50 paid, education-related summer internships during the five-year program for Elon first- and second-year students majoring in math or the sciences. Three first-year students, Anna Dellicker of Holliston, Mass., Alexis Goslen of Winston-Salem, N.C., and Karl Garvy of Durham, Conn., have been selected to participate in the Elon Noyce Internship Program. As recipients, the students will receive paid education and STEM-related internships.
Learn more about the Noyce Scholars program to include due dates for the spring 2014 applications for internships and scholarships.