Trine professors receive grant to offer free workshops

Two Trine University faculty members have received grants to lead free STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) education-related workshops for area teachers.

Ashley Overton, Ph.D., and Megan Tolin, both assistant professors in Trine’s Franks School of Education, will lead Google Certification Training and E-Learning Days workshops through STEM Teach IV, a statewide fund that awards competitive grants to programs and initiatives that work to bolster the overall quality of STEM instruction in Indiana and advance student interest and knowledge in STEM fields.

Overton and Tolin have presented at international conferences on using technology in education, including one session over the summer that was covered by Education Week.

“These no-cost workshops are designed to enhance current teaching practices to include purposeful technology integration,” said Overton.

Sessions will be held in 2020 and 2021 and are open to K-12 in-service teachers. They will be held on Trine University’s main campus in Angola, inside one of the Shambaugh Hall classrooms that have been redesigned to provide Trine students access to the latest resources for educational technology and practice.

Registration is now open for Winter/Spring 2020 courses and workshops and can be completed by creating an account at stemteachindiana.org/apply/.

Educators may learn more about STEM Teach and how to apply by visiting stemteachindiana.org/teachers/. For registration questions related to the Trine University workshops, contact Olivia Lusher, Ed.D., director of strategic partnerships, at lushero@trine.edu or (260) 665-4311.

The programs are part of the graduate and undergraduate classes, workshops and conference scholarships to STEM conferences provided free for Indiana teachers through STEM Teach IV.

The Indiana General Assembly established the Indiana STEM Teacher Recruitment Fund in 2013. The Center of Excellence in Leadership of Learning (CELL) and the Independent Colleges of Indiana (ICI) are continuing the successful STEM Teach initiative, now in its fourth adaptation as STEM Teach IV.

Photos: Ashley Overton, Ph.D., top, and Megan Tolin.