Millions for STEM

The California State University system is poised to make some headway on an impending shortage of qualified math and science teachers.

Six campuses—Chico, San Diego, San Francisco, San Luis Obispo, San Marcos and Stanislaus—received a total of $7.1 million from the National Science Foundation’s Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program.

Most of the grant—$701,438 of which will go to Chico State—will fund scholarships and stipends for undergraduate and teacher-credential students.

The goal is to create a more robust and diverse group of K-12 teachers for science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), with a focus on recruiting people from underrepresented communities.

In the next 10 years, California is facing a projected need of more than 33,000 additional math and science teachers.