STEM | News
UT, NSTA Provide Externships for Connecticut Science Teachers
United Technologies and the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) have teamed up to provide externships to seven Connecticut high school science teachers. The program started June 25 and will last until Aug. 3. It also includes five days during the 2012-2013 school year.
The program, which provides six weeks of hands-on engineering experience, teams up each teacher with a United Technologies scientist/engineer at one of eight locations in the state.
United Technologies, which is headquartered in Hartford, CT, develops high-tech aerospace and building system products. NSTA is a membership organization for those interested in science education, including teachers, administrators, scientists, and industry representatives.
Participants are then required to take what they learned in the field back to the classroom and include that information in curriculum, and classroom activities in the fall.
The teachers also receive a stipend in the amount of $6,000, membership to the NSTA for one year, and access to a variety of NSTA resources. The stipend is paid in two installments of $2,500 by mid-August, and the last $1,000 in the fall.
The externs are:
- Andrew Angle, Watkinson School, Hartford;
- Roberta Downer, Middletown High School, Middletown;
- Penny Kelly, Greater Hartford Academy of Math & Science, Hartford;
- John Labate, Stratford High School, Stratford;
- Bryce McMinn, Orville H. Platt High School, Meriden;
- Christopher Petersen, Bacon Academy, Colchester; and
- Ruth Thomas, Enfield High School, Enfield.
"The United Technologies Corporation/NSTA STEM Externship Program enables teachers to connect their curriculum to real-world applications, which enhances student engagement and provides examples of how their learning is linked to future career options," said Gerry Wheeler, interim executive director of NSTA.
For more information, visit nsta.org/UTC_STEM. Teachers interested in applying to the program for the following school year can visit the Web site in the fall for a link to the application and program requirements.
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Tim Sohn is a 10-year veteran of the news business, having served in capacities from reporter to editor-in-chief of a variety of publications including Web sites, daily and weekly newspapers, consumer and trade magazines, and wire services. He can be reached at timothyjsohn@gmail.com and followed on Twitter @editortim.