SME News Archive
2023
Partnership Provides New Benefit for STEM Teachers-in-Training
Oct. 18, 2023 | UTD News
University of Texas at Dallas students who aspire to become science, math or computer science teachers are now eligible for a scholarship designed to recruit and retain the most talented teachers for Texas public schools.
This fall, the University’s UTeach Dallas program became a full partner in the Charles Butt Foundation’s Raising Texas Teachers project. Teacher candidates in the UTeach Dallas program are now eligible to apply for the Charles Butt Scholarship for Aspiring Teachers, which encourages and supports the most promising students to pursue a career in teaching.
UT Dallas Recognized for Exemplary Teacher Preparation Programs
June 9, 2023 | UTD News
The University of Texas at Dallas was recognized recently by the Texas Education Agency for its success in preparing high-quality teachers.
The University’s Teacher Development Center and UTeach Dallas program earned commendation for the high passing rate that UT Dallas students achieved on their state licensure exams last year and were recognized for contributing significant numbers of graduates in high-needs areas, such as math and science.
2022
UTeach Dallas Gets Grant To Help Multiply Number of STEM Teachers
April 27, 2022 | UTD News
UTeach Dallas has received a three-year, $500,000 grant from Communities Foundation of Texas’ W.W. Caruth, Jr. Fund to support the program’s efforts to recruit and retain science and math majors for careers in teaching. The CFT grant specifically addresses the urgent need in North Texas for science, technology, engineering and mathematics teachers for underrepresented, high-needs schools.
2021
UTeach Dallas Associate Director Earns National Honor
July 9, 2021 | UT Dallas News
Katherine Donaldson MAT’93, associate director of the UTeach Dallas program at The University of Texas at Dallas, has received the 2021 Outstanding Master Teacher Award from the UTeach STEM Educators Association.
The honor recognizes demonstrated excellence by UTeach master teachers, who are highly experienced content experts in their fields of instruction and strong, hands-on advocates for best teaching practices and professional development among in-service teachers.
Donaldson has been a master teacher and faculty member in the UT Dallas Department of Science/Mathematics Education in the School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics since 2009.
What You Need To Know About Upcoming Missions to Venus
June 10, 2021 | WFAA News
Dr. Mary Urquhart, SME department head, is interviewed about upcoming missions to Venus.
Texas Girls in STEM Day
March 1, 2021 | Women in STEM at UT Austin
Each March 1, Texas recognizes Texas Girls in STEM Day. The day marks a chance to celebrate and encourage the participation of girls in this state in fields related to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics — and is the result of House Bill 3435, passed by Representative Rhetta Bowers during the 86th Regular Session.
The legislation encourages all across the state to embrace programs, ceremonies, and class instruction that emphasizes women in STEM-related careers. Texas Girls in STEM Day gives many young girls the opportunity to learn, ask questions, and dive deeper into subjects they may not have been encouraged to explore otherwise.
Dr. Mary Urquhart was part of the esteemed panel of Women in STEM.
2020
Double Planet Sighting Is Best in 800 Years
Dec. 17, 2020 | KRLD NEWS
Jupiter and Saturn are moving so close to each other in our sky that they will appear to form a “double planet.” Dr. Mary Urquhart, associate professor and SME department head, said a conjunction like this was last seen clearly from Earth in March 1226.
UT Dallas Comets, Meet Comet NEOWISE
July 24, 2020 | UT Dallas Magazine
Comet NEOWISE originated in the Oort cloud, a huge collection of ancient comets and asteroids billions of miles from Earth. Occasionally, one of those bodies is kicked out of its comfortable position and is pulled by gravity toward the sun.
“Comets like NEOWISE are cosmic time capsules of primordial ice from the dawn of our solar system,” said Dr. Mary Urquhart, associate professor and SME department head.
2019
University Honors Educators with Awards for Teaching Excellence – President’s Teaching Excellence Award in Graduate/Professional Instruction
June 3, 2019 | UTD News
Five educators from The University of Texas at Dallas recently were recognized with President’s Teaching Excellence Awards for their positive impact on student learning and innovation in the classroom.
UT Dallas President Richard C. Benson honored the recipients for their outstanding efforts on May 2 at the third annual Celebration of Teaching Excellence. The Center for Teaching and Learning requests nominees for the awards each year.
The honorees also were lauded May 13 during the Honors Convocation Ceremony. The President’s Teaching Excellence Award in Graduate/Professional Instruction was presented to Dr. Mary Urquhart, associate professor and SME department head.
2018
Fox4ward: NASA Capturing Dramatic New Views of Space
November 12, 2018 | FOX 4 News
Dr. Mary Urquhart, associate professor and SME department head is interviewed regarding new NASA missions. The space agency’s unmanned vehicles are providing an unprecedented look at the far reaches of our solar system and showing us hundreds of newly discovered planets, light years away. And we won’t have to wait long for the next major encounter.
Urquhart Recognized for Efforts To Support Science Teachers
Sept. 13, 2018 | UTD News
Dr. Mary Urquhart, associate professor and SME department head, was recently honored for leading programs that educate and support Texas science teachers.
Urquhart received the Nita Beth Camp Legacy Award for a science project director from the Texas Regional Collaboratives for Excellence in Science and Mathematics Teaching. The award honors a “lifetime of dedication and commitment to quality education for Texas teachers and students,” according to the citation.
UTeach Dallas Staff Member Earns Association Award
August 29, 2018 | UTD Intercom
Dr. Kim Distin MAT’09, program coordinator, materials manager and intern coordinator for UTeach Dallas, recently received the 2018 Outstanding Staff Award from the UTeach STEM Educators Association.
Distin has been the program coordinator for UTeach Dallas since its inception in 2007. Her duties include overseeing class, lab and lesson materials management; web and social media; data reports; and alumni tracking. Before joining the UTeach Dallas program, she taught high school science in the Dallas area for 10 years.
Science, Math Instructors Receive Excellence in Teaching Honors
June 28, 2018 | UTD News
Dr. Stephanie Taylor BS’06, senior lecturer in Science and Mathematics Education, is one of five educators recognized by the School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics with Outstanding Teacher Awards.
“For me, teaching is about enthusiasm and relating the topic back to the everyday world,” Taylor said. “It is easy for students to get bogged down in details or only see the next exam coming, so even small voyages to incorporate present-day research, biology, history or engineering allows chemistry to have context and meaning outside of a single semester.”
Researchers are Putting a Multidisciplinary Spin on Teaching Physics
February 5, 2018 | UTD News
UT Dallas researchers are launching a three-year research project that uses specialized computer programs to teach children physics, thanks to a recent grant of more than $1 million from the National Science Foundation’s STEM + Computing (STEM+C) program.
The study, Scaffolded Training Environment for Physics Programming (STEPP), will test a novel approach for teaching physics to high school students — computer-based learning programs that require no prior coding experience.
Fox4ward: The Hunt for a ‘Missing’ Planet
January 29, 2018 | FOX 4 News
Dr. Mary Urquhart, associate professor and SME department head, discusses what scientists refer to as “Planet 9.”
UTeach Dallas Project Spawns Partnership with Texas Parks and Wildlife
January 29, 2018 | UTD News
The University of Texas at Dallas is partnering with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department on a project that incorporates bass fishing and conservation into science and math curricula for middle schoolers.
The project began last year as lesson plans drafted by UTeach Dallas students as part of their training to become science and math teachers. Each year, teams of those students are challenged to design science and math lessons that meet state standards.
2017
UTeach Dallas Celebrates 10th Anniversary
May 5, 2017 | City of Richardson News
UTeach Dallas marked its 10th anniversary with a celebration at Berkner High School.
Special guests, including Richardson Mayor Pro Tem Mark Solomon, and media representatives were invited to visit classrooms to see the program in action and learn about its positive impacts.
The event included a visit to an engineering class taught by a UT Dallas graduate, where students demonstrated the use and importance of engineering automation and discussed skill sets needed for those planning careers in STEM.
Meet Three Inspiring Women in STEM ‘Hidden Figures’
March 1, 2017 | UTD Event
Award-winning “Hidden Figures” cast Taraji P Henson, Octavia Spencer, and Janelle Monae brought to light the untold story of women mathematicians who served an essential role in NASA: the launch of astronaut John Glenn into orbit. In Women’s History Month, meet these three inspiring women in STEM who played a key role in NASA reaching for the stars.
Dr. Mary Urquhart, associate professor and SME department head, will introduce the film and take Q&A after the movie. Urquhart spent time at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and at NASA’s Ames Research Center, Center for Mars Exploration. Urquhart will be joined by Dr. Marc Hairston, a research scientist at the William B. Hanson Center for Space Sciences.
3D Models Become Integral Visualization Aids for Calculus Students
February 6, 2017 | UTD News
“I’d been thinking about how to solve this visualization problem, and I read the title of a blog post about 3-D printing your own flip-flops,” said Dr. John Zweck, a professor in the Department of Mathematical Sciences. “I realized, if you can print your own flip-flops, you can print anything.”
In 2014, the National Science Foundation announced a call for researchers to improve the success of first- and second-year STEM students in mathematics courses. Dr. Mary Urquhart and Dr. Sue Minkoff already shared an NSF grant with Zweck that supported the UTeach Dallas Robert Noyce Scholarship Program.
Related: Why Some North Texas Hospitals Are Turning to 3D Technology To Prep for Surgery (The Dallas Morning News)
2016
UTD Broadens Efforts To Teach Computer Skills to Children, Teachers Across North Texas
December 6, 2016 | UTD News
The University of Texas at Dallas is expanding its ongoing efforts to promote computer science education to K-12 students — and teachers — throughout North Texas. UT Dallas recently was selected as a Code.org Regional Partner.
“In addition to fostering interest in computer science among K-12 students, it’s vitally important to support the educators who are and will be teaching computer science skills,” said Dr. Mary Urquhart, associate professor and SME department head.
Texas Teachers Learn Coding at UTD, Hoping To Bring Lessons to Their Classrooms
July 14, 2016 | The Dallas Morning News
During a one-week coding camp at The University of Texas at Dallas, the K-12 teachers created various projects through Alice, a 3D programming environment. The virtual platform has built-in animated objects that users can control through drop-down menu options, making it possible to program and create games like the leapfrog one.
But for the teachers, the goal was much larger than simply sending computerized frogs to the other side of the pond. Rather, they hope that by becoming students for a week, they can implement programming lessons into their classes and clubs this fall.
Fox4ward: Planet Life
June 13, 2016 | FOX 4 News
We humans have long wondered whether we’re alone in the universe. And just in the last four or five weeks, scientists have developed a much better idea of where to look for life beyond our planet. FOX 4’s Dan Godwin talks to Dr. Mary Urquhart, associate professor and SME department head.
UT Dallas Joins National Network To Grow STEM Teaching Force
March 21, 2016 | UTD News
UT Dallas has been selected to join a national network of organizations and universities dedicated to bringing 100,000 new exceptional science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) teachers into classrooms by 2021.
The University’s Department of Science and Mathematics Education, housed in the School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, recently joined 100Kin10, a network of more than 280 businesses, nonprofits, foundations and academic institutions aimed at recruiting, preparing and retaining K-12 STEM teachers.
2015
University Plants Seeds of Science at Dallas Arboretum for Earth Day
April 16, 2015 | UTD News
More than 50 faculty and students from the UT Dallas School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics will be cultivating budding scientists this month when they present dozens of activities for children at the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden. In celebration of Earth Day, the Dallas Arboretum’s Rory Meyers Children’s Adventure Garden partnered with the University to stage science and mathematics activities for K-12 students. Faculty from the departments of biological sciences, physics, and science and math education also will participate.
Mental Math Wiz To Reveal the Magic of Calculations at Free Event
Feb. 11, 2015 | UTD News
A mathematician known for his feats of mental calculation will demonstrate his math magic during a free event Saturday at UT Dallas. As a special guest of the Metroplex Math Circle, Dr. Arthur Benjamin, a magician and professor of mathematics at Harvey Mudd College, will share his mental math secrets during his “Mathemagics” presentation.
2014
Tuesday’s Total Lunar Eclipse Ushers in Series of Four
April 10, 2014 | UTD News
In the early morning hours of Tuesday, April 15, a total lunar eclipse will be visible across North America, turning the moon blood red or orange as the moon passes through Earth’s shadow. The colorful eclipse ushers in an unusual series of astronomical events, said Dr. Mary Urquhart, associate professor and SME department head.
Researchers Educate, Entertain Teens with Third Issue of Space Science Comic Book
February 18, 2014 | UTD News
What does an orange-haired, comic book superheroine have in common with a science experiment orbiting the Earth on board a satellite? Plenty. Both share the name CINDI, shed light on discoveries in space science and are the creations of researchers at The University of Texas at Dallas.
Alumna Brings Science Experiment to Life
February 18, 2014 | UTD News
Like mild-mannered reporter Clark Kent, UT Dallas alumna Christine Rittenhouse has a day job. But when she was a master’s student at the University, her super-woman alter ego was a high-flying role model for young girls interested in science. Rittenhouse recently hung up the bright orange wig and spandex costume she donned to play Cindi. Although no longer in costume, as a physics teacher at Liberty High School in Frisco, Rittenhouse does retain Cindi’s superpower: helping students understand science.
Communities Foundation of Texas Awards More Than $1.3 Million in Grants to Improve Middle School Education in North Texas
February 17, 2014 | Communities Foundation of Texas
The Communities Foundation of Texas made more than $1.3 million in grants in 2013 to improve education and increase the pool of quality teachers and staff working with at-risk middle school students across North Texas.
The University of Texas at Dallas and the National Alliance for Partnerships in Equity Education Foundation received $74,812 to provide gender equity training to preservice teachers through the UTeach Dallas program. UTeach Dallas recruits students from UTD’s pool of undergraduate STEM majors to consider a career teaching in middle and high school math and science classrooms.
5 More Universities Will Create STEM Teacher-Training Programs
Feb 2, 2014 | U.S. News & World Report
Universities are responding to President Barack Obama’s State of the Union call to better educate the future workforce. Five more universities will start UTeach programs in fall 2014 to simultaneously award undergraduates STEM degrees and teaching credentials.
A Dozen Universities Share $12 Million to Bolster the UTeach Program
April 18, 2013 | The Dallas Morning News
The National Math and Science Initiative has awarded $12 million in challenge grants to UTeach programs at 12 universities. Each school will get $1 million to help implement the program, which recruits and trains college students to become math and science teachers.
The schools are Florida State University, Louisiana State University, Northern Arizona University, Temple University, University of California, Berkeley, University of California, Irvine, University of Colorado at Boulder, University of Florida, University of Houston, University of North Texas, The University of Texas at Dallas and Western Kentucky University. The grants were announced at an event at the Perot Museum of Nature and Science in Dallas.
UTeach Dallas Meets Fundraising Challenge, Receives $2 Million
April 3, 2013 | UTD News
Dallas-area foundations and industry partners in science and technology have provided $2 million to support an innovative program at The University of Texas at Dallas aimed at training the teachers who will inspire the next generation of scientists, engineers, doctors and entrepreneurs.
Q&A: Fred Fifer
March 19, 2013 | Lake Highlands Advocate
Before its winter 2012 opening, the Perot Museum of Nature and Science garnered tremendous buzz for its state-of-the-art design and unique exhibits. Most brag-worthy, perhaps, was the museum’s debut of a full-scale model Alamosaurus, one of the largest dinosaurs ever to roam North America, accompanied by a display comprising several of the dinosaur’s real-life bones. In 1997, a group of science-education students from The University of Texas at Dallas discovered the bones — the first-ever from an Alamosaurus cervical vertebrae (neck) — while on a field trip to Big Bend National Park in West Texas. Lake Highlands resident Fred Fifer, who worked as a professor at UTD from the late 1960s until 2001, was part of the crew that made the enormous discovery and undertook the painstaking excavation.
Middle-School Girls to Get Taste of Science at STEM Academy
Jan. 25, 2013 | UTD News
Sixty-five African-American middle-school girls from the Dallas Independent School District will visit the UT Dallas campus this Saturday to walk on a liquid and solve a “whodunit” using fingerprint analysis. A STEM academy session allows girls to meet with professional women in STEM-related careers, as well as female graduate students who are pursuing STEM degrees. The activities are part of a STEM academy called “Passport to STEM,” a half-day workshop aimed at fostering girls’ interests in science, engineering, technology and math (STEM).
2012
UT Dallas Scientists Dispel Dec. 21, 2012 Rumors
December 19, 2012
Dr. Mary Urqhart and Dr. Marc Hairston dispel rogue planet, galactic alignment, solar flares, and magnetic field rumors.
Communities Foundation of Texas Grants Over $2 Million To Improve Middle School Education
Oct. 15, 2012 | Communities Foundation of Texas
The Communities Foundation of Texas has announced eight grants totaling more than $2 million to seven nonprofits working to improve middle school education in the Dallas area. Grant recipients include The University of Texas at Dallas (UTeach Dallas), which was awarded $500,000 over three years to actively recruit, through its UTeach Dallas program, STEM majors to teach in high-need urban middle school math and science classrooms.
Letter to the Editor: UTeach Is the Key for Our STEM Education Goals
Aug. 22, 2012 | The Dallas Morning News
Your editorial encouraged Dallas ISD superintendent Mike Miles to look to UTeach for well-prepared teachers of mathematics and science. This is far from impossible. The University of Texas at Dallas and the University of North Texas began UTeach replication in 2008. University of Texas at Arlington is in its third year of replication. Together, we will graduate 100 new secondary mathematics and science teachers this year.
Annual Physics Camp Aims To Hook Girls on Science
June 18, 2012 | UTD News
Giant slingshots, model rockets and home-made hot air balloons are all part of the plan at the annual UT Dallas Physics Camp for Girls to inspire more girls to study science.
Students Watch Venus Cross Between Earth and Sun
June 6, 2012 | The Dallas Morning News
“As a planetary scientist, I am very excited about this. An astronomical phenomenon like this is a very rare event, and it will also coincide with the research found with NASA’s Kepler [telescope].” — Dr. Mary Urquhart, associate professor and SME department head
Sky Watchers Await a Rare Celestial Experience
May 31, 2012 | UTD News
During the transit of Venus — the astronomical term for the event — the silhouette of the planet will appear as a tiny black spot moving across the disk of the sun. A Web animation shows how the event will appear to viewers in Richardson, Texas. On June 5, sky watchers will be in for a rare treat as Venus passes directly between Earth and the sun, an astronomical alignment that won’t occur again for another 105 years.
Math and Science Teacher Program Gets a Boost
Apr. 18, 2012 | UTD News
An innovative program at UT Dallas aimed at improving the quality of math and science teachers recently received part of a $200,000 grant from JPMorgan Chase through the National Math and Science Initiative.
UTeach Grad Strives To Build Science Excitement
Feb. 8, 2012 | UTD News
UTeach alumnus Gianfranco Herrera knows kids can be a tough crowd when he is presenting one of his science demonstrations. But more often than not, they’re in awe.
2011
Grant Aids Push To Train Math, Science Teachers
Dec. 1, 2011 | UTD News
UT Dallas’ efforts to train and support top-notch science and math teachers in traditionally underserved areas has received a big boost, thanks to a grant that provides tuition support and training resources. The Teacher Enhancement Academy in Mathematics and Science provides tuition support of $480,000 for 30 educators currently teaching in high-needs schools who have committed to remaining with those schools an additional two years after completing their master’s degrees.
TI Program Energizes Science and Math Teachers
July 25, 2011 | UTD News
Eighteen educators from area school districts spent part of their summer at UT Dallas in a program sponsored by Texas Instruments to improve the teaching of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
UT Dallas Wins Communications Awards
March 24, 2011 | UTD News
For the third year in a row, the UT Dallas Office of Communications has earned multiple awards for innovative print design projects in a contest judged by peers in higher education. A poster promoting the UTeach program was awarded silver in the Visual Design – Poster category, and the UTeach Banner took bronze in the Visual Design – Illustration category.
2010
Comic Book Translates Space Science for Teens
Oct. 27, 2010 | UTD News
Complex science can be captured in comic-book form — a fact two UT Dallas researchers set out to prove five years ago, and are doing again with the second installment of a comic book series aimed at high-school students. Associate professor Dr. Mary Urquhart and research scientist Dr. Marc Hairston created the comic books to help explain the science behind NASA’s CINDI mission built at the UT Dallas William B. Hanson Center for Space Sciences.
Teachers Working To Boost Science Emphasis To Overcome Lagging Interest, Lower Test Scores
Aug. 12, 2010 | The Dallas Morning News
In middle and high school teachers probably have a degree in some science but may be teaching out of their field because of the shortage of science teachers, he said. Texas teachers can be certified as a generalist in high school science. That means they may have a degree in chemistry but be teaching biology. Time is also an issue. “To teach a subject like cell division, I can tell a student everything they need in a couple of days. But for them to actually see it, to see the cell mitosis, to count the number of cells – I can’t devote that time,” said Bill Neal. He heads the UTeach Dallas program at The University of Texas at Dallas.
UTD Program Challenges the Best, Brightest Young Mathletes
July 21, 2010 | The Dallas Morning News
For the select group of academically gifted middle and high school students training intensively this summer at The University of Texas at Dallas, math is a sport. The problems they work in geometry, algebra, combinatorics and number theory far exceed the curriculum used at Texas high schools. “These are the athletes of the mind,” said Titu Andreescu, 53, director of the three-week AwesomeMath program.
Gift To Boost Ranks of Math, Science Teachers
Feb. 9, 2010 | UTD News
A $500,000 gift from the O’Donnell Foundation will support the UTeach Dallas endowment and provide flexibility to support scholarships, internships, and other aspects of the program.
2009
UTeach Dallas Awarded Support for Master Teachers
Sept. 10, 2009 | UTD News
Increasing the supply of qualified math and science teachers in America’s secondary schools received a big boost Wednesday when the Texas Instruments Foundation awarded a $450,000 grant to UTeach Dallas.
UTeach Dallas Lauded as a Bridge to the Future
Sept. 1, 2009 | UTD News
The Metroplex Technology Business Council has awarded UTeach Dallas the 2009 Tech Titan of the Future award in the university category at a ceremony. The award recognizes educational programs designed to address critical shortages of students interested in technology disciplines.
Grant Means More Masterful Math, Science Teaching
July 31, 2009 | UTD News
Science and mathematics education in Texas will soon enjoy a major boost, thanks to a $699,663 grant from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. The grant award stems from the Coordinating Board’s Educator Quality Division and supports a proposal put forth by Dr. Robert C. Hilborn, head of UTD’s Department of Science and Mathematics, and a team of 11 UT Dallas faculty educators.
Nobel Professor Gives Schools High-Powered Science Help
May 28, 2009 | UTD News
The scientist who co-discovered the first binary pulsar is tackling a new challenge these days: how to invigorate science education in the nation’s K-12 classrooms. Dr. Russell Hulse, along with Dr. Joe Taylor from Princeton University, received the 1993 Nobel Prize in physics for discovering two dense, collapsed stars closely orbiting each other. One of these stars is a pulsar, which can be detected by its emission of regular pulses of radio waves. The discovery of the first binary pulsar provided the first way to test Albert Einstein’s prediction that moving objects emit gravitational waves. … UT Dallas also has four of its UTeach students participating in the classrooms, helping the teachers and the students.
Science Education Professor Helps Kids with Unique Needs
March 23, 2009 | UTD News
It started with a phone call from the Oak Hill Academy about ways to improve science education for students with learning differences. Then, in mid-February, the hard hats came out and Oak Hill’s old Assessment Center came down in a pile of rubble. It was time to make way for a new science center. Dr. Cynthia Ledbetter, professor of science/mathematics education, the team at the Oak Hill Academy and generous donors including T. Boone Pickens had merged efforts to make way for a state-of-the art facility to teach science to some special students.
2008
US Culture Blamed for Lack of Girl Math Experts
Oct. 10, 2008 | UTD News
A new study published in the Notices of the American Mathematical Society says there’s no shortage of American girls with an aptitude for math, but the crux of the study reveals a troubling trend. The study, Cross-Cultural Analysis of Students with Exceptional Talent in Mathematical Problem-Solving, identifies obstacles such as peer pressure and other societal issues that keep girls from pursuing education and careers in mathematics. Study co-author Titu Andreescu, UT Dallas associate professor and director of AwesomeMath, said the problem is largely domestic.
NSF Grant Supports Teacher Training Initiative
Oct. 2, 2008 | UTD News
UT Dallas has received a $749,225 grant from the National Science Foundation to support The Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program. Named in honor of the co-founder of Fairchild Semiconductor and of Intel, the Robert Noyce program will provide five years of summer research stipends and internships and 45 $10,000 scholarships for UT Dallas science and mathematics majors who intend to become K-12 teachers.
Girls + Physics Summer Camp = Energy + Fun
June 20, 2008 | UTD News
From rockets to edible car races, middle-school girls are exploring the fun of physics at UT Dallas again this summer, courtesy of the university student group Women in Physics. This year’s theme is space, with a nod to UTD’s Comets. “Middle school is when the interest of girls in science and mathematics tends to decline dramatically,” said Dr. Mary Urquhart, associate professor and SME department head.
Foundation Gift Helps UT Dallas Scholars Thrive
July 10, 2008 | UTD News
The Greater Texas Foundation has given $200,000 to support three key UT Dallas programs. This gift will provide need-based scholarships to students in the Academic Bridge Program and to community college students transferring to UT Dallas through the Comet Connection program. The gift will also offer program support for UTeach Dallas.
UTeach Dallas Receives $200,000 from Fort Worth Foundation
May 5, 2008 | UTD News
Efforts by The University of Texas at Dallas to graduate more math and science teachers for Texas middle and senior high schools have received a $200,000 gift from the Sid W. Richardson Foundation. UTeach Dallas, which enrolled its first cohort of students in January, is aimed at drawing more math, science, engineering and computer science majors to the profession of teaching. Students are exposed to the inside of a classroom as early as their freshman year and can complete their major and teacher certification within four years. UTeach Dallas also provides students with financial support and pairs them with a mentor teacher.
2007
Gov. Perry: UTeach, UT Dallas to Help Close Math and Science Gap
Dec. 6, 2007 | Gov. Rick Perry’s Office Press Release
Gov. Rick Perry participated in the presentation of a $2.4 million grant over five years from the National Math and Science Initiative (NMSI) to The University of Texas at Dallas to replicate the UTeach program, which will certify UT Dallas undergraduates to become high school math and science teachers. UT Dallas is one of 12 sites nationally to be awarded a replication grant.
“Texas is once again leading the nation with winning ideas, such as the UTeach program, which will help us close the math and science gap in today’s schools, before it becomes a salary gap in tomorrow’s workplace and an opportunity gap for Texas families,” Perry said.
Aiming To Multiply Math, Science Teachers
Dec. 5, 2007 | The Dallas Morning News
Math and science whizzes aren’t necessarily good at teaching. And teachers don’t always know their calculus or chemistry. The University of Texas at Dallas aims to marry those skills with a new teacher training program that campus officials will announce today. The program, modeled after one at UT Austin, is designed to address a shortage of math and science teachers and ultimately turn more young people on to careers in those fields.
Governor Says UTeach Funds Will Help Reverse Math-Science Trend
Dec. 5, 2007 | UTD News
Gov. Rick Perry visited to help UT Dallas celebrate $2.4 million in funding for a program to help the state increase its ranks of math and science teachers. The university will receive the money over the next five years following a competition that included submissions from more than 50 universities nationwide.