Regeneron Unveils Teacher STEM Training Program
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals announced a new program last week to promote and improve science, technology, engineering and math education in the region.
During an education symposium it hosted at its Tarrytown headquarters on Apr. 3, company representatives announced the creation of the Hudson Valley STEM Teaching Fellowship program in collaboration with NASA, the Teachers College at Columbia University and the STEM Education Leadership Center of Rye.
The program, scheduled to begin this summer, will provide training for teachers to help them integrate the teaching of the four subjects in local schools more effectively.
There are three elements to the initiative–a nine-credit online graduate course with interactive lectures where fellows will receive a STEM Leadership certificate; a research project for teachers at Regeneron’s campus led by the company’s scientists; and informal classroom training in STEM teaching methods.
“We believe it’s important to raise the overall level of science and math proficiency in our communities,” said Murray Goldberg, Regeneron’s senior vice president of administration in explaining the thrust behind the effort.
Ten high school teachers from the Hudson Valley will be chosen through a competitive application process to become Regeneron fellows to start the new program, Goldberg noted.
“We need to educate and graduate students today who are scientifically literate so that that they can become the scientists and technicians and the Regeneron employees of tomorrow,” he said. “We also need to provide all of our young people with the strong academic foundation in math and science that increasingly is needed for career success in many fields in our global economy.”
Regeneron already has in place a STEM pilot afterschool program in Mount Vernon that is funded by the company and Westchester County. Last year it was offered through the Westchester Jewish Community Services’ Off the Street Program that trains and employs Mount Vernon High School students to tutor and mentor the district’s elementary school pupils.
