Fontbonne University to Host National STEM Institute

Top Quote Fontbonne University will host the National Math and Science Initiative's Laying the Foundation Program July 14-17, 2015, bringing dozens of educators from around the country to St. Louis. End Quote
  • St. Louis, MO-IL (1888PressRelease) July 08, 2015 - Dozens of educators from elementary, middle and high schools will hone their STEM teaching skills at Fontbonne University this summer.

    Fontbonne will host the National Math and Science Initiative's Laying the Foundation Program on July 14-17, 2015. About 60 educators from districts as far as Austin, Texas, will spend a week learning the best and most modern teaching practices in a variety of classes from Elementary Math/Science to High School Math.

    NMSI's national training corps will focus on research-based instructional strategies and best practices for increasing academic rigor and ways in which students learn and process new skills and concepts. Teachers attending the summer program receive print and online classroom-ready materials and resources that are aligned with state standards.

    Fontbonne graduate Elizabeth Sippel '15 signed up to prepare for her first teaching job at a private school in St. Louis County.

    "There will be information about how to instruct to make it interesting," she says. "I want to learn how to make classes more hands-on through inquiry-based learning. And I'll get 26 hours of professional development credit."

    The three-year Laying the Foundation program consists of 12 days of training over three summers. Fontbonne is hosting the training at no cost as a contribution to the future of STEM in St. Louis.

    Fontbonne University is a leader in STEM in the St. Louis area, with the area's first Bachelor of Science in Cyber Security, as well as growing programs in bioinformatics, computer science, applied mathematics and One Health, among others.

    "In the Cyber Security lab, we do hands-on projects - hacking and defending," said Dr. Yi Yang, one of three cyber security professors at Fontbonne, which will hire a fourth next year. "Numerous local companies are on the advisory board, including MasterCard and US Bank. They give us input into what they want to hire in the future."

    Fontbonne University is a Catholic coeducational institution of higher education offering undergraduate and graduate degrees in the liberal arts and professional studies, as well as evening and online programs for working adults. Fontbonne was founded in 1923 and is sponsored by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet. To learn more, visit www.fontbonne.edu.

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