Photo courtesy of National Stem Cell Foundation
Nicole Slowik teaches at Liberty Park Middle School in Vestavia Hills, Alabama.
Nicole Slowik, a teacher from Liberty Park Middle School, is among nine teachers from eight states who have been selected to participate in the prestigious National STEM Scholar Program.
It’s a professional development program providing advanced science, technology, engineering and math training, national network building and project support for middle school science teachers nationwide.
Created in partnership between the National Stem Cell Foundation and The Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science at Western Kentucky University, the National STEM Scholar Program selects teachers each year from a national pool of applicants based solely on the description of a “big idea” Challenge Project the applicant would implement in their classroom if funds were available.
Selected projects are chosen for maximum impact in middle school classrooms where research shows lifelong STEM career decisions are being made. STEM Scholars convene on WKU’s campus for a week of advanced STEM training and finalize their projects with input from their STEM Scholar class colleagues.
“I am so excited to be a part of this program because I am eager to take my science teaching to the next level by collaborating with other teachers who love teaching and designing hands-on activities as much as I do,” Slowik said in a news release.
The 2024 National STEM Scholar class will be hosted by The Gatton Academy from May 26 to June 1 on the campus of WKU in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Other members of the class include:
- Katie Duff, Manhattan, Illinois – Manhattan Junior High School
- Heather Febres, Orlando – Pershing K-8 School
- Angela Kopp, Overland Park, Kansas – Holy Cross Catholic School
- Bridget McDonald, Katy, Texas – Beckendorff Junior High School
- Sarah Nelson Wiese, Omaha, Nebraska – Bryan Middle School
- Samantha Poll, Hampden, Maine – Samuel L. Wagner Middle School
- Kourtney Taylor, Stanford, Kentucky – Lincoln County Middle School
- Eliza Vela, San Antonio, Texas – Longfellow Middle School
Studies show that middle school students who become excited about science are the ones who will pursue STEM courses in high school and major in them at the technical and college levels. However, nearly 50% of 8th graders in America lose interest in pursuing the STEM-related subjects increasingly required for 21st-century jobs.
Dr. Paula Grisanti, CEO of the National Stem Cell Foundation, said the foundation added education to its mission and partnered with The Gatton Academy in 2015 to support the development of a new generation of scientists in academic research, advanced technology and infrastructure engineering.
“Supporting teachers who inspire and motivate middle school students at this critical decision-making age will directly impact how many choose to pursue the STEM skills essential for living-wage jobs,” Grisanti said. “By investing in the influential middle school STEM teacher now, we reach thousands of students in classrooms today and far into the future.”
Dr. Julia Link Roberts, executive director of The Gatton Academy, added that this partnership will accrue benefits for the National STEM Scholars, middle school students in their classrooms and the middle school science teachers with whom they collaborate. “The National STEM Scholar Program is an excellent way for teachers to learn new strategies and new ways to engage students to help them become and stay interested in science and math,” Roberts said.
Now in its 9th year, there are 90 National STEM Scholars representing middle schools in 35 states. Ninety-one percent teach in public schools, 41% teach in mid- to high-poverty schools, and 39% teach in communities with a population under 15,000. A unique requirement of the program is the responsibility for STEM Scholars to share lessons learned with colleagues in their home schools, districts or states, magnifying impact over multiple classrooms and years. By June 2025, National STEM Scholars will have directly and indirectly impacted more than 146,000 middle school students in the United States.
