NSF awards Le Moyne a nearly $1.2 million grant to train STEM educators

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded Le Moyne College a grant of nearly $1.2 million to train teachers in the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) fields.

The teachers would then serve “high-need school districts in Central New York,” the office of U.S. Representative John Katko (R–Camillus) said in a news release issued Tuesday.

Le Moyne will use the grant to “recruit, enroll, and prepare” 18 undergraduate students in the STEM fields to obtain New York teaching certification, according to Katko. The Congressman had supported the application that Le Moyne College submitted for the federal funding, his office said.

Le Moyne will collaborate with local organizations, including the Syracuse City School District, Onondaga County Libraries, On Point for College, the Museum of Science and Technology, and Baltimore Woods Nature Center, to establish the program and prepare 18 undergraduate students to pursue careers in STEM education to help “high-need” districts.

The NSF awarded the funding through its Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship program. It responds to the “critical” need for K-12 teachers of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics by encouraging “talented” STEM students and professionals to pursue teaching careers in elementary and secondary schools.

“STEM education is key to our economic future, and it is critical that we equip our local students with the skills they need to pursue careers in these innovative and high-demand fields,” Katko contended in the release. “This major grant to Le Moyne College will help recruit and develop educators so that they can equip our local, high-need students with STEM skills.”

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com