College of Communication & Education

National Science Foundation Noyce Grant

The Northern California Math and Science Teacher Program (NorCal MAST) received a $1.2 million grant from the National Science Foundation.

The Noyce grant is a collaboration between the College of Communication and Education, the College of Natural Sciences, and the College of Engineering, Computer Science, and Construction Management.

The grant will support Noyce Scholarships for students pursuing teaching careers in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields for the next five years.

The Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship program responds to the critical need for K–12 STEM teachers by encouraging talented STEM students and professionals to pursue teaching careers in elementary and secondary schools.

Five students were selected to receive Noyce Scholarships in the 2018–19 academic year; undergraduates Kirk Williams and Andy Beronilla will each receive $12,250 and credential candidates Nancy Caravez, Daniel Caravez, and Jennifer Culver will each receive $13,250. Tuition is higher for credential candidates.

Students must reapply each year in order to receive additional scholarships. For each Noyce Scholarship received, an awardee must complete two years teaching in a high-needs school district.

In addition to scholarship support, the grant will provide stipends and programmatic support to recruit and prepare STEM majors and professionals to become K–12 teachers.

School of Education professor Jennifer Oloff-Lewis is the principle investigator for the grant.

“My job is to recruit people who want to become math and sciences teachers,” said Oloff-Lewis. “I will recruit freshman and sophomore students from Chico State and community colleges. I will coordinate events with local teacher mentors and manage the day-to-day maintenance of running a grant. But the fun stuff will be working with students.”

Faculty working with Oloff-Lewis are Brandi Aranguren, M.E. Mathews, Anne Stephens, David Kagen, and David Alexandra.

noyce scholarship recipients
Credential Candidates: Nancy Caravez, Daniel Caravez, and Jennifer Culver

noyce scholarship recipients
Undergraduates: Kirk Williams and Andy Beronilla