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Faculty from the Colleges of Engineering, Education, and Arts & Sciences at the University of Alabama have been awarded a $1.6 million grant from the National Science Foundation Division of Graduate Education for the three-year project, "Graduate Teaching Fellows in Middle and High School Education." The overarching purpose of the grant is to enhance STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education from 7th grade through graduate school. The UA project is themed around the growing presence of the automotive industry in Alabama, and the group will be working in conjunction with the Center for Advanced Vehicle Technologies.
Undergraduate and graduate students in Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, and Mathematics will work with Science and Mathematics teachers in Tuscaloosa City and County Schools. The program will begin with a Summer Institute which will allow the teachers and fellows to interact and discuss issues of concern. In addition, tours of University of Alabama labs and some local industrial firms will be included. Following automotive applications with the topics taught by teachers. This will be done under the supervision of the teachers and University of Alabama faculty. The materials will be disseminated through The University of Alabama's Center for Communication and Educational Technology reaching teachers and students in 20 states and Canada.
This project is designed to bring excitement and cutting-edge technology to the teachers to address future Alabama workforce needs for the automotive industries. This emerging industry in Alabama has increased the demand for jobs which require high-tech skills, and the standard for new hires has increased substantially in the past few years. This program will help these young students gain a better understanding of how academic ideas work in the real world. These students will then be able to choose from a wider variety of career and educational opportunities when they graduate from high school.
