UAH continues to push development of STEM education

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (March 26, 2012) - The University of Alabama in Huntsville has received approval from The University of Alabama Board of Trustees to offer a Master of Science in Integrated Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (MS-ISTEM) program.

The new degree will be offered through the UAHuntsville College of Science, and also received approval by the Alabama Commission of Higher Education.

The MS-ISTEM program was created to advance the STEM subject expertise of in-service secondary school science and mathematics educators. The program begins in the summer and prospective students may now begin the admittance process.

Courses will be offered during the summer semester and on weekends, an ideal format for working educators who want to earn advanced degrees and further their academic achievements.

The MS-ISTEM graduate program is a direct result of science education reform in the 1990s by UAHuntsville President Dr. John Wright.

Wright, who passed away in January, followed the national model for science instruction by creating the Hands-On Activity Science Program (HASP). The program's success was phenomenal and eventually other state institutions developed similar models and Wright's brainchild became known as ALAHASP.

In 2002, UAHuntsville's HASP spawned another state education initiative, the Alabama Math, Science, and Technology Initiative (AMSTI). AMSTI is the largest most comprehensive and successful initiative in the nation. More than 350,000 students in Alabama receive instruction by AMSTI certified teachers twice a day in mathematics and science. In 2006, Wright was honored with a Friend of AMSTI Award.

Educators interested in pursuing the MS-ISTEM degree should contact Charlene Bruce in the university's Institute for Science Education) at 256.824.6156.

For more information,
contact Joyce Anderson-Maples
256.824.2101
maplesj@uah.edu