CHENEY, Wash. — On Friday, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) announced that Eastern Washington University (EWU) will receive $599,968 in funding from a federal grant to help train 20 future science teachers.
The funding comes from the National Science Foundation's Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program, with support from the Micron Foundation.
Over five years, the funding will help train 20 future science teachers learning at EWU. Participants will include undergraduate students majoring in biology, chemistry, geoscience or physics, and earning a Washington state teaching endorsement.
Future teachers participating in the program will join science research experiences, seminars and activities with the goals of increasing their understanding of the nature of science and scientific inquiry, improving their scientific research skills, and helping them implement those experiences in their teaching
“This grant represents a tremendous opportunity for Eastern Washington University to strengthen K-12 science education," said EWU President McMahan. "By equipping our future science teachers with the knowledge and research experiences to bring hands-on, inquiry-based learning methods into their classrooms, we are helping to create a more engaging and impactful science education experience for K-12 students.”
According to a press release from the office of Sen. Cantwell, while the State of Washington has the second-highest concentration of STEM jobs in the nation, only about one-half as many people graduate with bachelor's degrees in these fields.
The press release went on to say that Washington State will have a gap of approximately 60,000 STEM workers by 2026, according to a report by Washington STEM.