As originally reported by WLFI's Drew Cosgray and Christopher Locken, six local teachers are bringing advanced microelectronics education to their classrooms as part of a federally funded program. This program is led by the SCALE K-12 team with a Purdue Polytechnic professor serving as the principal investigator.
Lafayette news station WLFI recently featured educators from the Lafayette School Corporation (LSC) who were selected for the Noyce Microelectronics Master Teacher Fellowship Program.
Greg Strimel, interim department head and an associate professor of technology leadership and innovation in Purdue Polytechnic, leads the initiative. He and his team secured a $1.99 million National Science Foundation (NSF) grant last year to establish the fellowship. The program addresses the national demand for a skilled microelectronics workforce by equipping K-12 educators with specialized curriculum and training.
WLFI featured six LSC educators awarded the fellowship: Brian Bettag, Melanie Gilbert, Susan Gran, and Kristin Van Laere from Jefferson High School; Allison Clegg from Tecumseh Junior High School; and Dawn Sargent from Glen Acres Elementary School.
Sargent told WLFI that her third-grade students are already building wearable tech projects using microbits.
"They consider us master teachers and master educators in microelectronics," Sargent said in the broadcast. "We're going to serve as ambassadors within [the district] and visit classrooms to help teachers bridge the gap between microelectronics and what they're already teaching."
The fellowship encourages teachers to implement the technology across different subjects. Gilbert, a marketing teacher at Jefferson High School, partnered with Top Golf to teach students the microelectronics behind ball tracking.
"This year we're having a lot more technical experiences, experiences that students would not otherwise have had," Gilbert told WLFI.
Strimel collaborates on the project with co-principal investigators Tamara Moore, Morgan Hynes, and S. Selcen Guzey from Purdue's College of Engineering and College of Education. LSC currently has the largest group of fellows from a single district in the state.
About SCALE K-12
SCALE K-12 is a national initiative dedicated to preparing students for careers in defense-related microelectronics by equipping teachers and schools with the tools to design and implement engaging learning experiences. As a full school system engagement program, SCALE K-12 partners with districts and educators to integrate microelectronics concepts and contexts across all grade levels and subject areas. Through the co-design of curricular modules, classroom activities, and teacher professional development, SCALE K-12 exposes, motivates, and prepares students from diverse backgrounds with the skills and mindset needed to thrive in the future microelectronics workforce.
