There was good news coming from the University of Tennessee (UT) and the State of Tennessee in 2009!  A $1.8 million grant was announced that will help put more math and science teachers into Tennessee schools!  This program, called VolsTeach, is designed to meet the increasing need for more math and science teachers. It provides paid internships and interesting community outreach activities and opportunities.

This indicates a proactive, forward way of thinking and a dedication to education at the state level in Tennessee where the Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI) is located and where we can help in a “hands on” manner!  OSTI’s EDU Outreach Program (partly through the .EDUconnections webpage) not only focuses on supporting universities, and community colleges, but also teachers, principals and librarians at high schools throughout the country.  OSTI’s online resources provide an incredible wealth of scientific and technical information at the click of a mouse. 

Another program, Teach Here, is a teaching residency program for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) professionals who are moving into secondary careers in education to help with teaching shortages.  This program is funded by a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant and the Americorps.  OSTI also teams with NSF on websites such as Science.gov to provide the best in science and technology information available from government agencies. 

The University Outreach team is strategically and creatively looking for new ways to “reach out” to the education community both locally and nationally.  OSTI’s leadership believes that the way to build upon the science we have is to support further education, and this starts with open communication, outreach and fresh new approaches.  We look forward to introducing OSTI’s online resources to new contacts, new teachers and new students while creating new opportunities for partnerships between OSTI and education champions at all levels.

Check out the .EDUconnections website where a different university is highlighted each month!

Linda Ponce

OSTI