Twenty-five Math Majors to Benefit from NSF Scholarships

Thanks to a new National Science Foundation awards program, 25 Illinois State University students majoring in secondary mathematics education will receive renewable scholarships ranging from $500 to $5,000 beginning next school year.  Of the 25 scholarships, 20 are to incoming freshmen. 

The Department of Mathematics at Illinois State University received funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF) for scholarships for academically talented, financially needy secondary mathematics education majors.  The $596,611 award is from NSF's Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (S-STEM) program.

On average, the department will award about 26 scholarships annually for the next four academic years for students majoring in secondary mathematics education (current and incoming students).  Each scholarship is renewable for a maximum of eight semesters of undergraduate study at ISU subject to funding.

Professor Saad El-Zanati and Assistant Professor David Barker, both Mathematics, spearhead an ISU S-STEM Scholarships team of 11 faculty and education professionals who will provide mentoring, advising and project management and supervision.  The scholarship program has several special features to help the student scholars during their study at ISU and prepare them to enter the secondary mathematics teaching profession.  These include: faculty mentors, peer mentors, tutors and biweekly undergraduate mathematics seminars and other professional development opportunities.   Scholarship recipients will also be encouraged to live on the math lifestyle floor in Manchester Hall and to take advantage of some of the unique opportunities offered to secondary education majors at ISU, such as participation in the Mathematics Department's Teacher-Scholar Program and other undergraduate research opportunities.

The ISU award is one of about 85 new S-STEM awards that were made by the Division of Undergraduate Education at NSF this year. These awards are a result of the evaluation of 277 proposals submitted in August 2008.

The award reflects well on the quality of education at Illinois State in general and in mathematics in particular, according to El-Zanati and Barker.  They and several colleagues have attracted significant NSF funding for innovative practices programs that are unique to mathematics education at Illinois State.  For example, El-Zanati and Barker lead NSF's first award for a Research Experiences for Undergraduates Site that focuses exclusively on pre-service and in-service secondary mathematics teachers.

The Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics program was established by the National Science Foundation in accordance with the American Competitiveness and Workforce Improvement Act of 1998 and 2004 to address the national need to increase substantially the number of American scientists and engineers. Illinois State's proposal addressed the need for highly qualified high school mathematics teachers who stay in the profession and help prepare future scientists, engineers and mathematicians. An emphasis of the ISU program is the recruitment from underrepresented groups in mathematics education. The scholarships are exclusively for U.S. citizens and are limited to academically talented students who qualify as having a need of financial aid or loans.

Recipients of the NSF scholarships are Brenda Fanella, Bloomingdale, Lake Park West High School; Skyler Keeling, Clinton, Clinton Community High School; Erin Alexander, East Peoria, ISU; Brittany Priest, Elgin, Central High School; Matthew Johnson, Elmhurst, York Community High School; Jessica Ronnau, Elmhurst, York Community High School; Ashley Shaw, Elmwood Park, ISU; Kristina Gee, Hamilton, Hamilton High School; Ryan Korth, Hinckley, Hinckley-Big Rock High School; Marvin Sahs, Homer Glen, Lockport Township East High School; Kevin Farrell, Lansing, Thornton Fractional South High School; Kelly Kardas, Lemont, ISU; Jessica Jermolowicz, Mokena, Lincoln-Way East High School; Lainey Parrott, Naplate, Marquette High School; Jordan Torf, Northbrook, Glenbrook North High School; Allison Zale, Oak Forest, Oak Forest High School; Ashley Mora, Palos Hills, Amos Alonzo Stagg High School; Meaghan Hirsch, Park Ridge, ISU; Jacob Thompson, Peotone, Peotone High School; Josephine Mower, Plainfield, Plainfield Central High School; Paul Kruse, Riverside, Riverside Brookfield High School; Bethany Vandercar, Rolling Meadows, William Fremd High School;  Stephanie Zeppetello, Rolling Meadows, ISU; Emily Treutler, St. Charles, St. Charles East High School; and AnneMarie Madej, Willowbrook. Hinsdale Township Central High School.