Noyce Teacher Scholarship Grants Awarded

04/29/2010 

“I knew, right out of high school, I wanted to be a chemistry teacher,” said SUNY Cortland senior Jennifer Traxel. Nearly four years later, she has earned both her degree and a prestigious scholarship from the National Science Foundation (NSF) in exchange for a commitment to teach science for two years in a high-need school district.

Traxel, of Clark Mills, N.Y., is one of five high-achieving applicants who received a scholarship as part of the inaugural Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program at SUNY Cortland.  The four undergraduates, who will receive $12,500 each, are Stefan Birek of Raleigh, N.C., Sean Nolan of Brookhaven, N.Y., Karalyn Schoepfer of Bellmore, N.Y., and Traxel. Graduate student Christopher Donohue of Conesus, N.Y., will receive a $15,000 scholarship.

Traxel will graduate in May with her Bachelor of Science in Adolescence Education: Chemistry. Currently student teaching in a seventh grade class in the Cortland City School District, she recently completed a five-week student teaching commitment in Homer Center School District.

 “This student teaching program has changed me completely — now I walk into school as a teacher, I’m one of them,” said Traxel. “I love it and I hope to combine my degree in education with my passion for science to inspire more students to pursue careers in science.

SUNY Cortland students Stefan Birek and Karalyn Schoepfer, two of five scholars awarded a prestigious Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship from the National Science Foundation, work in a lab in Bowers Hall.

“I definitely recommend this path for anyone who is interested in science and has the desire to teach. If you want to be a teacher, you should definitely become a teacher, that’s most important.”

The NSF has awarded a grant of nearly $900,000 to SUNY Cortland to assist up to 50 students interested in becoming math and science teachers over the next five years.

The Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program seeks to encourage talented science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) majors and professionals to become K-12 mathematics and science teachers. The NSF has funded the scholarship through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

The grant’s principal investigator is Gregory D. Phelan, associate professor and chair of the SUNY CortlandChemistry Department. In March, Kerri Freese was hired as the Noyce Project Coordinator to build the program and to recruit applicants. She has 15 years of marketing and communications experience and a B.S. in Business Administration from University of California, Berkeley.

“The scholarships are a great incentive to recruit and develop the best and brightest teachers,” said Freese. “The money will help pay for room, board and tuition for those with another year of school. For those entering the workplace, it will help to pay off loans or to provide living expenses.”

Beyond the financial incentive, Noyce Scholars benefit from additional supports.

“Recognizing that future teachers need to be a part of a community that mentors and support them, the scholarship includes a multi-year mentor program, online resources and funds to join professional societies and to attend regional conferences,” said Freese.

Chris Donohue, who will receive his master’s degree in adolescence education: mathematics this spring, will student teach in the Syracuse area next fall. With a 3.98 GPA, he looks forward to teaching math and says SUNY Cortland helped to prepare him for this future.

 “After two years at a community college, I was looking for a mathematics program in Central New York,” explained Donohue. “My father suggested SUNY Cortland for its strong math program but I had teaching in the back of my mind. When Claus Schubert (assistant professor of mathematics) learned of my interest to combine my math degree with teaching, he recommended the Noyce Scholarship Program.”

Last fall, through one of his education classes, Donohue spent 25 hours tutoring at Fowler High School on the near west side of Syracuse, N.Y. He had been familiar with the school’s reputation as one of the poorest and lowest-performing in New York state.

“While tutoring and observing, I noticed the students were much more indifferent toward their education than I was accustomed to in my own high school experience, which I expected,” said Donohue. “What I did not expect was how easily I was able to connect with a lot of the kids. I’m sure it was partially because I was a fresh face, but it was such a good feeling for me to work with students who were really frustrated with a math problem and watch their attitudes change to one of relief when I showed them that it was actually pretty easy.”

Donohue understands that children in a high-need urban environment often come from homes that are not able to provide the stability and support that he enjoyed. As a result, he thinks that teaching in a high-need school will be more challenging but also will be more rewarding and more interesting.

“The kids that are the worst off are the ones you can help the most and I know that one teacher can make a huge difference in a person’s life.” Donohue said.

“High need does not necessarily mean an urban environment,” said Freese.

To qualify as high need, according to the NSF for the purposes of the Robert Noyce Grant requirements, a school district must meet certain criteria. A district can qualify in one of three ways: (1) at least one school in the district must have half or more of its enrolled students eligible for participation in the free and reduced-price lunch program; (2) more than one-third of the academic classroom teachers at the secondary level or in two of the academic departments do not have a degree in the academic field in which they teach the largest percentage of their classes; and (3) the district has at least one school whose teacher attrition rate has been 15 percent or more during the last three school years.

Senior Sean Nolan of Brookhaven, N.Y., attended SUNY Cortland because it was one of the few colleges that offered a dual physics and mathematics program. He will graduate next fall with a bachelor’s degree in adolescence education: math and physics, and hopes to become a high school physics and math teacher.

“Cortland’s student life has been excellent,” explained Nolan, who has a 3.86 GPA. “I’m the vice president of the Physics Club and I have a job in the Physics Department setting up the labs. The opportunity to be exposed and doing something in my major has been great. The Physics Club is really active and we just completed a project as part of Sustainability Week. This weekend we’re going to the Museum of Science and Technology (MOST) in Syracuse and later in the month we’re holding a planetarium show as a fundraiser.” said Nolan.

Senior Stefan Birek of Raleigh, N.C., who earns his bachelor of science in biology in May, said the scholarship will help him reach his goal of becoming a teacher and eventually a high school principal. An exceptional athlete in high school, he selected SUNY Cortland to play sports but has discovered its many academic benefits.

“I’ve enjoyed working on projects outside of the classroom,” said Birek, who hopes to work on a master’s degree in administration. “I’m doing field research with Professor (Steven) Broyles (Biological Sciences Department) right now. We’re working on a project that we’ll present at Scholars’ Day. This is a special project that’s separate from my class but it’ll help me in my future.”

Junior Karalyn Schoepfer of Bellmore, N.Y., will spend one more year at SUNY Cortland before earning her bachelor’s degree in adolescence education: biology.

Like all the Noyce Scholarship winners, Schoepfer has a GPA above a 3.0. She credits guidance she received her first year for her success.

“My advisor, Dr. (Larry) Klotz, (Biological Sciences Department), really helped me out during my freshman year. I struggled during my first semester because I didn’t have good study skills, then I took Dr. Klotz’s bio class and he advised and guided me on how to succeed.”

Schoepfer came to SUNY Cortland because of the school’s well-known education programs and because she could graduate and become a teacher in four years.

“I’m looking forward to student teaching next year,” said Schoepfer. “Then I hope to become a successful and inspiring middle or high school biology teacher.”

The scholarships were presented to the students at a reception held April 9 in Bowers Hall on campus.

The Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program is named after the late Robert Noyce, the co-inventor of the integrated circuit or microchip, who co-founded Fairchild Semiconductor in 1957 and Intel in 1968.

For more information about the Noyce Scholarships, visit the website at www.cortland.edu/noyce or contact Freese at (607) 753-2913 or by e-mail to noyce@cortland.edu.