Cardin, Van Hollen Announce over $250,000 for Educator Training at UMD College Park

U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin (both D-Md.) have announced $261,442 in funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to fund summer workshops at the University of Maryland (UMD) College Park for early career geoscience educators from across the United States.

“Providing training to educators is crucial to the success of both teachers and students,” said Senator Van Hollen, a member of the Budget and Appropriations Committees. “I’m glad to see this recognition of UMD’s expertise in this field, and I know they will provide important knowledge and guidance to the educators participating in these workshops. I will continue working in Congress to provide support and resources to our educators.” 

 

“Our educators are the heart of our communities. They have the difficult, often thankless task of preparing our children for the challenges they and our country will face in the years ahead. I know that our educators will build on their skills and learn cutting edge instruction and teaching methods from the scientific leaders at College Park,” said Senator Cardin, a member of the Senate Finance Committee.

Providing learning and support opportunities for early-career faculty is an important strategy that the NSF employs to improve undergraduate education, strengthen faculty research and scholarship, and address issues of diversity and inclusion in the Geosciences. The Early Career Faculty Workshops will be held at UMD College Park and will include approximately 75 participants each summer. The workshops will be nationally advertised, and participation by faculty who are from minority-serving institutions and community colleges will be encouraged.

The NSF is an independent federal agency created by Congress in 1950 "to promote the progress of science; to advance the national health, prosperity, and welfare and to secure the national defense.”  The NSF is the funding source for approximately 24 percent of all federally supported basic research conducted by America's colleges and universities. In many fields such as mathematics, computer science, and the social sciences, NSF is the major source of federal backing.

 

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