by Rebecca Hightower
The Technology Association of Georgia (TAG), the state’s leading association dedicated to the promotion and economic advancement of Georgia’s technology industry, announced today that UWise is a Finalist in the post-secondary outreach category for the 2014 STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) Education Awards.
UWise, a Georgia Board of Regents funded Initiative housed in the College of Science and Mathematics at University of West Georgia, has sought to foster excellence and innovation in STEM disciplines since 2011 in order to address urgent local and national needs for more qualified graduates in these fields. This interdisciplinary, collaborative program is co-directed by Dr. Myrna Gantner, associate vice president for Academic Affairs, and Dr. S. Swamy Mruthinti, associate dean of the College of Science and Mathematics, and involves over 35 faculty members across three colleges: the College of Science and Mathematics, the College of Education and the College of Arts and Humanities.
UWise impacts over 600 West Georgia students yearly who are taught by faculty pioneering new STEM teaching methods funded through its mini-grant initiative. UWise faculty and students alike give back to the field, professionalizing their research through peer-reviewed publications and regional and national conference presentations. “I am proud of the work done by my colleagues to enhance student success and ecstatic that these efforts have been recognized by TAG ,” says Dean of the College of Science and Mathematics, Dr. Farooq Khan.
This cross-college program continues to advance its aim by joining cutting edge national STEAM movements, which codify the importance of the Arts broadly in STEM disciplines. Its partnership with UTeach, a rigorous teacher-training program for science and math majors complements UWISE efforts. “The UWise program is an outstanding example of what faculty can do to help students achieve their dreams of earning a STEM degree. Science and math degrees have a reputation for being quite challenging. That's where UWise makes a difference. Our faculty designed this program to help students persevere and succeed in terms of credit hours earned, final course grades, and persistence in the STEM majors. We're pleased that the USG Board of Regents continues to support our students and faculty in this important work,” says Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dr. Myrna Gantner.
The Technology Association of Georgia’s third STEM Education Awards recognize schools, programs, universities, and companies for outstanding efforts and achievements in supporting and promoting STEM education in Georgia. “It is exciting to see the progress we are making with STEM education in Georgia,” says Executive Director of TAG Education Collaborative, Michael Robertson. “The increase in nominations each year and the quality of the nominations made it difficult for our judges. Congratulations to the Finalists! Your work engaging these students in STEM will benefit the students you touch for years to come with challenging and exciting careers.”
Tino Mantella, president and CEO of TAG, echoed these sentiments. “STEM occupations will increase in Georgia by more than 22,000 during the current decade,” says Tino. “The finalists of this year’s STEM Education Awards are helping to prepare the tech-ready workforce needed to fill these jobs, and we applaud them for standing out as leaders in Georgia’s educational community.”
This year’s TAG Finalists were chosen in eight different categories: Elementary School, Middle School, High School, Post Secondary Outreach, Extracurricular Program, STEM Certified School Outreach, Corporate Outreach, Best STEM Day Activity. Winners in each category will be officially honored at The 3rd Annual STEM Education Awards event held on September 26th at the Savannah International Trade and Convention Center in Savannah, Georgia. The event is presented by TAG, the TAG Education Collaborative (TAG-Ed), a non-profit 501c3 dedicated to advancing STEM education in Georgia, and TAG Savannah.
For more information about TAG and the 3rd Annual STEM Education Awards or to attend the event, visit http://bit.ly/STEMinfo2014.
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