Dr. Beth Lewis, associate professor of science education in the College of Education and Human Sciences’s Department of Teaching, Learning and Teacher Education (TLTE), has been named a senior advisor in the Center for Science, Mathematics and Computer Education (CSMCE).
In her new role, Dr. Lewis will work to build partnerships that reach across departments and colleges to strengthen science education research at UNL. Special emphasis will be placed on supporting faculty in education and the sciences as they pursue external grants that advance the work of both TLTE and the CSMCE. Her portfolio will also include continued efforts to strengthen secondary (grades 7-12) science learning in Nebraska schools through efforts to support both pre- and in-service teacher education programs.
CSMCE Director and Professor Jim Lewis (no relation to Beth Lewis) said that Beth Lewis’s recent National Science Foundation Noyce Track 3 grant, “Meeting the Needs of Diverse Students through a Next Generation of Science Teacher Leadership in Nebraska,” is an example of what is possible when you bring together interdisciplinary faculty expertise. The new grant, which engages faculty from three colleges, the Office of Graduate Studies, and many academic departments, will support 26 exemplary secondary science teachers who, as Noyce Master Teacher Fellows (MTFs), will work to strengthen the science teacher community as leaders across the state. The first cohort of 13 MTFs begins this month.
"In her new role, Beth will work to build collaborations that will lead to similar success, while strengthening science education teaching and research in Nebraska," Jim Lewis said.
In response to beginning her new role this week, Beth Lewis commented, “In this advisory capacity at CSMCE, I am delighted to serve UNL and the state’s science teachers by working with others to increase the strength of existing networks and future science education initiatives. Science teachers are dedicated professionals who need more opportunities to lead from within, and it is our job to encourage their lifelong learning and innovation as they work with diverse students, families, and communities for more equitable and inclusive opportunities in STEM education and fields.”
Beth Lewis is a former geologist and high school earth and space science teacher and began her UNL career as faculty in 2009. She has been the PI of two other NSF Noyce grants that supported 90 science majors and professionals to become science teachers, and she has published numerous studies about science teaching. Lewis coordinates secondary science teacher education at UNL, and teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in secondary science education and educational research.
UNL Noyce Science Master Teacher Fellowship Program website: https://cehs.unl.edu/tlte/nsf-noyce-master-teaching-fellows-program/