Noyce Science Scholars Program Going Strong in its Fourth Year

In the fourth year of the program, Hunter College Noyce Science Scholars (BA/MA Science Adolescent Education students) continue to engage in program activities designed to strengthen scientific pedagogical content knowledge, provide early teaching experiences, and build support and community. With support from the Presidential Student Engagement funding, Scholars were led by Professors Dennis Robbins and Jeanne Weiler, on fall (2018) and spring (2018) trips to Black Rock Forest that focused on water quality research, hiking and orienteering. This fall, Scholars were also treated to an off-broadway play, The Winning Side, that looked at America’s space program and the role of Werner von Braun in the Apollo program followed by a discussion with the playwright.

To provide Scholars with increased opportunities to teach prior to student teaching, the Noyce Program created the first ever Robotics Summer camp for school children at Hunter College in July 2018. Following a week-long Summer Institute experience where Scholars participated in collaborative learning and problem solving while designing a robotics curriculum and facilitated by Professor Dennis Robbins, they organized and taught a two-week STEM camp for forty middle school students. The Scholars taught as a cooperative team using inquiry-based teaching strategies that focused on scientific reasoning, quantitative thinking, computer programming and engineering principles. Overall, 100% of STEM campers found the experience rewarding and would recommend it to a friend or classmate. The summer camp was a fully immersive experience for middle school students and a motivating first-time teaching experience for prospective future science teachers.