UC Santa Barbara’s Gevirtz School names 15 Noyce Scholars

The Gevirtz School at UC Santa Barbara has named its first Noyce Scholars, 15 students working on their teaching credentials in mathematics and science. The funding for the Noyce Scholars comes from a $900,000 grant awarded to the Gevirtz School from the National Science Foundation (NSF), through its Division of Undergraduate Education. The funding, being made available as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, will over a five-year period provide $10,000 fellowships for 75 teacher candidates pursuing their Masters Degree.

The 15 2009 Noyce Scholars are:

Amanda Jade Cooper—Mathematics
Kate Dickinson—Science-Chemistry
Kristen Gaines—Mathematics
Mandi Gascoigne—Science-Biology
Viktor Genjoyan—Science-Physics
Celene Gutierrez—Mathematics
Michelle Hillberry—Mathematics
Steven Kandel—Science-Physics
Ashlee Lightle—Mathematics
Ashley McClain—Science-Biology
Cara McNamee—Mathematics
Clara Ngo—Mathematics
Julia Pustizzi—Science-Biology
Rachel Roesch—Science-Biology
Angela Strahler Watt—Science-Biology

The Noyce Scholars are one component of Cal Teach at Santa Barbara (CTSB), part of a statewide UC effort to reinvigorate science and mathematics teaching in order to prepare California students for the ever-more demanding 21st century workforce and marketplace. CTSB has three objectives: 1) to use the rapidly expanding undergraduate program at the Gevirtz School – which includes a new Minor in Science and Mathematics Education – to recruit students, particularly underrepresented ethnic minority students, into science and mathematics teaching; 2) to increase the overall number of science and mathematics credential candidates in UCSB’s Teacher Education Program; and 3) to build cohorts of students through shared activities so as to prepare and retain student-centered, reform-minded science and mathematics teachers. These objectives are all the more crucial given the increasing need for qualified science and mathematics teachers and the lack of support at the state level due to California’s budget crisis. The Noyce Scholarships are a direct way to address that teacher shortage.

“It is an honor and pleasure to work with these teacher candidates,” says Susan Johnson, coordinator of CTSB. “Their passion for developing the skills to get students to think richly about science and mathematics is infectious. I am certain they will make inspiring teachers and be pivotal mentors of the next generation of California's students.”

[Susan Johnson is available for interviews; contact George Yatchisin at 805 893 5789]
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Photo caption: the 2009 Noyce Scholars:

The front row (l to r) Viktor Genjoyan, Steven Kandel, Ashlee Lightle, Mandi Gascoigne, Ashley McClain, Cara McNamee, Kate Dickinson, and Rachel Roesch.

The back row (l to r) Julia Pustizzi, Angela Strahler Watt, Michelle Hillberry, Clara Ngo, Kristen Gaines, Amanda Jade Cooper and Celene Gutierrez.

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UC Santa Barbara’s Gevirtz School names 15 Noyce Scholars