New science scholarship stems student opportunities

Published: Thursday, October 18, 2012

Updated: Thursday, October 18, 2012 09:10

The Colleges of Science and Technology and Education are collaborating to give Armstrong students a unique opportunity. Armstrong was granted the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship program for students majoring in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree from Armstrong and later a master of Arts in teaching degree.

Upon completion of these two degrees, recipients of the STEM scholarship will have a great chance of becoming K-12 STEM teachers.

The two colleges partnered with the Savannah-Chatham County Public School System and local YMCAs, allowing Armstrong students to interact with local school systems as teacher assistants and tutors for low-income students in the regional area.

After completing the STEM bachelor’s degree and the MAT, students may be placed into a high-needs school for a minimum of two years, for each year the student received the loan.

“Many schools in Georgia are considered high-need schools,” said Delana Nivens, assistant dean of the College of Science and Technology. “The Chatham County school system has partnered with Armstrong to get students into the classroom and experience teaching, opening the door for more teachers, highly qualified teachers.”

Although the program is based around Chatham County, students are not required to teach in the area.

Robert Gregerson, dean of the College of Science and Technology, is thrilled to be granted another scholarship funded by the National Science Foundation.

“[The] first scholarship, S-STEM, is for students interested in STEM fields without wanting to be educators,” Gregerson said. “STEM Teacher is for STEM students wanting to become educators.”

“[The Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship program] is the first grant program, where majority of the money is for the students,” Nivens said.

Over $900,000 out of the $1.2 million will go directly to the students.

“Students may receive up to $10,000 a year for three years that the student participates in the program.”

There are three different transitions within the STEM Teacher program: Fellows, Scholars and MASTER Scholars. Fellows are freshmen and sophomores who are exploring the option of teaching. Scholars are juniors and seniors who have decided to become STEM teachers, and MASTER Scholars are students who graduated with a science degree and are pursuing a MAT at the College of Education.

Gregerson and Nivens both agree the STEM Teacher Scholarship benefits Armstrong but is most valuable to the students who receive the scholarship.

“Students will less likely face financial hardships, which will make it easier for students to progress, graduate, and go into their working field,” Gregerson said.

“Teaching internships are difficult for many students because of the commitment to being in the school,” Nivens said. “This scholarship helps these students.”

“There has been a greater push for STEM Teachers to recognize STEM students in high school to set them on the right path, even before entering college,” said Sherry Lester, a mathematics teacher in a Georgia high-needs public school.

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Campus crime blotter

Crime Blotter

Cell phone stolen from room

A student reported to University Police Department Officer Logan Woods that her cell phone was stolen from her Terrace II room April 13 around 2 p.m.

She said she fell asleep, and when she woke up, her white Galaxy III was gone. The student told the police officer another student was the last person to be seen with the phone. Woods attempted to contact that person, but there was no answer at the room where she stays.
Crime Blotter

Freshman caught partying with alcohol

University Police Department Officer Ray Shatzer was dispatched to Windward Commons April 5 at 5:56 p.m. after a possible party involving alcohol use was reported. Two residential assistants met Shatzer when he arrived and pointed him toward the party.

Shatzer knocked on the door, attempting to contact the residents who lived in the room where the party was said to be. No one answered the door, so the officer made contact with a student who the RAs saw leaving the party.
Crime Blotter

Armstrong police officers responded to a call in reference to an intoxicated person April 7 around 10:50 p.m. Patrick Bailey was found sitting in the lobby of Lane Library when Officer Tiffany Land first arrived on the scene.

Officers Ray Shatzer and Kelley Wood reported a distinct odor of alcohol in the lobby upon arrival. Bailey was asked several times for his name, identification and date of birth but refused to answer. His speech was slurred, and he had difficulty finishing his sentences. He became agitated as the officers continued to ask him for his identification.

He looked in his wallet, passed his identification several times and then closed his wallet, refusing to give his personal information and informing the officers that “[Expective] this. I ain’t got time for this.”
Crime Blotter

Playstation, TV stolen

Officer Ray Shatzer responded to a call from dispatch in reference to a burglary March 4 around 10 p.m. A Compass Point resident called police after returning to his dorm and finding his 50-inch television, PlayStation 3 and several video games had gone missing.

Police later arrested two Armstrong students, Joshua Fenimore and Nicholas Young, and charged both individuals with larceny in connection with the theft. Deputy Police Chief Wynn Sullivan could not speak to the details of how the charged individuals were apprehended.
Crime Blotter

Artwork Stolen

A faculty member stopped Lt. Isaac Strickland Feb. 12 to report that a piece of artwork had been stolen from her office in the Annex II building. The artwork, a light brown sculpture, was sitting on her office bookshelf.

The sculpture was in her office when she left the day before around 12:30 p.m. and when she returned the next day around 11 a.m. she noticed that is was missing, despite the fact that her office door was locked.

The faculty member later provided Strickland with a picture of the artwork. Some students were in the building during the time that the building was locked, and there were also students, whose names were on an access roster, who had access to the building throughout the night. The faculty member stated the only other people who were supposed to have keys to her office were other professors.
Crime Blotter

Tire goes missing

University Police Department Officer Crystal Simmons reported to the Aquatics and Recreation building Jan. 29 at 6:41 p.m. to meet with a student in reference to a missing tractor trailer tire. The tire, which was used by the volleyball team as an exercise tool, was located in a closet next to the pool door.

There were two tires in the room, but only one is missing.

“It’s one of those big tires,” said Deputy Chief Wynn Sullivan. “It’s a semi truck tire.”
Crime Blotter

Student breaks Windward elevator

University Police Department Officer Crystal Simmons reported to Windward Commons in reference to the east wing elevator being nonoperational. Simmons discovered the elevator door was jammed open on the first floor.

“Our concern was how would [handicapped students] get out in case of a fire,” said Deputy Chief Wynn Sullivan.

Video footage showed a white male hitting the door while exiting the elevator Jan. 14 at 8:45 p.m. While in the elevator, the male hit multiple buttons as well as placed his foot in the doorway to stop the door from closing. Two other individuals were in the elevator with him at the time.
Crime Blotter

Fire draws out trespasser

When a bulletin board caught fire around 3:47 a.m., UPD Officer Tiffany Land reported to Windward Commons, which was evacuated, Jan. 21.

“That’s still under investigation,” said Deputy Chief Wynn Sullivan.
Crime Blotter

A student contacted the University Police Department Jan. 10 at 3:45 p.m. and reported her bicycle was missing to Officer Crystal Simmons.

The green Hurley beach cruiser bicycle was located at University Crossings outside of the 700 building. The Hurley was locked, using a combination lock, to a pole attached to the porch.

“You need to use a U-lock. You have to have bolt cutters — large bolt cutters, not your average Home Depot bolt cutters but large bolt cutters — to cut them off,” said Deputy Chief Wynn Sullivan.

The student saw the bicycle outside her building the night before but was unable to locate that day.
Crime Blotter

University police officer Ray Shatzer observed a vehicle that appeared to have been unlawfully entered in Residential Lot I around 2:10 a.m. Dec. 2.

When the officer approached the car, he noticed the driver’s front window was broken and glass scattered across the driver’s and passenger’s seats. The vehicle’s doors were still locked.

Shatzer asked dispatch to contact the vehicle’s owner. When the owner arrived, he immediately noticed his iPod, which he left in the cup holder of the center console, was missing.
Crime Blotter

Wallet, money lifted

On Aug. 17, Girardeau responded to an auto-entry complaint. A student left his wallet in his vehicle. When he returned, the wallet was missing. It contained the student’s driver’s license, two credit cards, $60 and other documentation.
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Crime Blotter: Trespasser arrested

University Police officers Keith Jeffries, Faye Bly and Meagan Zike responded to a call at Windward Commons Aug. 11 shortly after midnight. A student reported the smell of marijuana coming from a third floor apartment. The officers found two underage female students with alcohol and marijuana. The students were given an Armstrong citation for having illegal drugs and alcohol on campus.
“It was Saturday night,” said Police Chief Wayne Willcox. “They just moved in, and apparently, they were celebrating.”
“It was a minor amount of marijuana, so they ended up receiving a citation.”
Officers Logan Woods and Jeffries were dispatched to an apartment in the Terrace 1 dormitory complex after a student reported a banned individual was spending the night with his female friend July 16.
Student caught with knives, drugs

Armstrong’s University Police Department Officer Richard Mitts reported to Compass Point Clubhouse April 1 around 10:19 p.m. to meet a residential assistant who smelled marijuana coming from an open window of the 3,000 building.
Mitts attempted to contact the resident with no success but gained entry with permission from a roommate. The smell was strongly emitting from Room D. The officer knocked on the door, which swung open. The resident wasn’t home.
Mitts found a clear, plastic bag containing a green, leafy substance on the dresser in plain sight, as well as what, appeared to be a throwing knife. Dispatch contacted the resident to inform him of the complaint.
The student admitted to having marijuana and knives and consented to a search of his room. Mitts found 13 offensive weapons — throwing knives, fighting knives, a machete and a tactical axe — less than an ounce of marijuana, five 12 ounce bottles of Heineken beer and an air soft pistol modeled after a Colt 1911. The orange tip of the pistol was removed, making the gun appear realistic.
Mitts performed a terry search of the student and found a folding knife in his right pants pocket.
The Housing staff was concerned for the safety of the other residents, so the student began staying with a friend.
Crime Blotter

University Police Officer Tony Farmer reported to police headquarters in response to a stolen cell phone March 6. The complainant said that around 8:15 a.m. she left the phone lying on a table in her chemistry lab.
When she returned for the phone, it was missing. The phone was a white iPhone 4S and had a black, rubber Hello Kitty cover. The student claimed her two lab partners remained at the table where she left the phone.
Farmer attempted to contact the students, but the class was already dismissed. Farmer advised the student to cancel her phone services. The student reported the value of the phone at $300.
On March 4, a student reported to Lt. Isaac Strickland that his maroon NEXT mountain bike was stolen from the northern stairwell of University Terrace II. The bicycle was last seen March 2.
“As I’ve said several times, if students didn’t leave things lying around, it wouldn’t get stolen,” said Police Chief Wayne Willcox. “Students need to be more careful and watchful over their things.”