{"542591":{"#nid":"542591","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Two ECE Alumnae Tapped for Woodrow Wilson Georgia Teaching Fellows Program","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Gov. Nathan Deal and Arthur Levine, president of the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation, celebrated the State of Georgia\u2019s ongoing commitment to close the achievement gap and provide all students with high quality teachers, as the second class of Woodrow Wilson Georgia Teaching Fellows was named on June 1, 2016.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESixty individuals \u2013 including five Georgia Tech alumni, two who are alumnae of the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) \u2013 will be part of the second cohort of the Woodrow Wilson Teaching Fellowship program in the state, which will be offered at Columbus State University, Georgia State University, Kennesaw State University, Mercer University, and Piedmont College during the 2016\u201317 academic year. The highly competitive program recruits both recent graduates and career changers with strong backgrounds in science, technology, engineering, and math\u2014the STEM fields\u2014and prepares them specifically to teach in high-need secondary schools.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe Woodrow Wilson Fellowship is about putting well-trained, committed educators in not only the fields of highest demand in our technology-driven age, but in the schools of highest need here in Georgia,\u201d said Deal. \u201cSTEM education plays a critical role in our state\u2019s competitiveness and future economic prosperity and the most important thing we can do for our students in this field is ensure they have effective teachers. This opportunity for teachers is leading to a brighter future for students as they prepare for the 21\u003Csup\u003Est\u003C\/sup\u003E century workforce.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe two ECE alumnae who will participate in this program are Wanda Harding and Deidre Paris.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHarding, who earned her master\u2019s degree in electrical engineering in 1993, will attend Piedmont College for her teacher training. She has served as technical director for the NOAA Joint Polar Satellite System and is a former senior mission manager for the NASA Launch Services Program at the Kennedy Space Station, including the 2011 launch of the Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity rover. She has also worked as a systems engineer for the International Space Station Program with the Italian Space Agency.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EParis, who holds three graduate degrees from Georgia Tech, will attend Columbus State University for her teacher training. She earned an M.S. in computer engineering and power system planning in 1994, an M.S. in environmental and urban policy in 1996, and a Ph.D. in construction engineering management in 2002. She has worked as a college professor, teaching engineering and mathematics, and she has been an artificial intelligence researcher. She has collaborated with NASA, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Lawrence Livermore National Labs, and the Army Environmental Policy Institute.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe three additional Georgia Tech alumni participating in the program are Sara Turmel, a 2016 bachelor\u2019s in materials science and engineering graduate who will attend Georgia State University; Michael Fusia, a 2006 bachelor\u2019s in physics graduate who will attend Kennesaw State University; and Jill Furstenau, a 1982 industrial engineering major who will attend Piedmont College.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe Woodrow Wilson Teaching Fellowship focuses on preparing top-quality educators for many of Georgia\u2019s most underserved public schools.\u0026nbsp; Each Fellow receives $30,000 to complete a specially designed, cutting-edge master\u2019s degree program based on a yearlong classroom experience. In return, Fellows commit to teach for three years in the urban and rural Georgia schools that most need strong STEM teachers. Throughout the three-year commitment, Fellows receive ongoing support and mentoring.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cUnder Governor Deal\u2019s leadership, Georgia has demonstrated a strong commitment to identifying, recruiting, and preparing top candidates for STEM teaching careers throughout the state,\u201d Levine said. \u201cAcross the nation, we hear of struggles to get exemplary teachers, particularly those who teach subjects like science and math, to serve in high-need schools. Through the hard work of the governor, the legislature, partner universities, and local school districts, we are working together to ensure Georgia\u2019s urban and rural communities have the strong teachers our children need to learn and succeed in the 21\u003Csup\u003Est\u003C\/sup\u003E century. Together, we are committed to meeting the staffing needs of Georgia\u2019s high-need schools.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThrough the Teaching Fellowship program, the Woodrow Wilson Foundation will contribute to the University System of Georgia\u2019s initiative to produce 20,000 new teachers by 2020. Woodrow Wilson is administering the program, with in-state coordination by the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education and support from the Robert W. Woodruff Foundation. Current project funding is $9.36\u0026nbsp;million.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe university partners, selected in a statewide review by the Woodrow Wilson Foundation, have spent the past year and a half tailoring their teacher preparation programs to meet the Fellowship\u2019s standards for intensive clinical work and rigorous related coursework. All five participating universities received $400,000 matching grants to develop their teacher preparation programs based on standards set by the Woodrow Wilson Foundation. For each of the program\u2019s three years, the participating Georgia colleges and universities will be able to enroll 12 Fellows, totaling 180 Fellows over that three-year period.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe Woodrow Wilson Foundation is also partnering with a wide range of school districts across the state on this effort, including Atlanta Public Schools, Banks County School System, Bibb County School District, Chattahoochee County School District, Athens-Clarke County School District, Cobb County School District, Dodge County Schools, Franklin County Schools, Fulton County Schools, Gwinnett County Public Schools, Habersham County Schools, Hall County Schools, Houston County Schools, Marietta City Schools, Marion County School System, Monroe County Schools, Muscogee County Schools, Paulding County School District, Stephens County School System, Union County Schools, Walton County Public Schools, and White County School District.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education is proud to serve as the in-state coordinating agency for this program that is delivering real, genuine results after only two short years,\u201d said GPEE President Steve Dolinger.\u0026nbsp;\u201cThroughout the Georgia Partnership\u2019s 24+ year history, we have consistently supported strategies to improve teacher effectiveness.\u201d\u0026nbsp;He added, \u201cThe Woodrow Wilson Georgia Teaching Fellowship program is both enhancing the teacher training programs at five universities and producing highly qualified STEM teachers for the partnering school systems. This is a winning program for Georgia.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia, Indiana, Michigan, New Jersey, and Ohio are currently Woodrow Wilson Teaching Fellowship states. The Georgia program brings the Woodrow Wilson Foundation\u2019s total commitment to the Fellowship to more than $90 million nationally. More information on the national program can be found at \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/woodrow.org\/fellowships\/ww-teaching-fellowships\/\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/woodrow.org\/fellowships\/ww-teaching-fellowships\/\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EPatrick Riccards is the contact and source for this press release originally issued by the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Program. For more information about the program, contact Riccards at 703-298-8283, riccards@woodrow.org\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"State of Georgia Continues Efforts to Provide Excellent\u2028 STEM Teachers for High-Need Schools"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ETwo Georgia Tech ECE alumnae \u2013 Wanda Harding and Deidre Paris \u2013 have been named as Woodrow Wilson Georgia Teaching Fellows.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Two Georgia Tech ECE alumnae \u2013 Wanda Harding and Deidre Paris \u2013 have been named as Woodrow Wilson Georgia Teaching Fellows."}],"uid":"27241","created_gmt":"2016-06-07 14:06:35","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:21:49","author":"Jackie Nemeth","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2016-06-07T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2016-06-07T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"542601":{"id":"542601","type":"image","title":"Wanda Harding","body":null,"created":"1465412400","gmt_created":"2016-06-08 19:00:00","changed":"1475895333","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:55:33","alt":"Wanda Harding","file":{"fid":"90751","name":"harding_wanda.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/harding_wanda.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/harding_wanda.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1159468,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/harding_wanda.jpg?itok=6hNEVeEf"}},"542611":{"id":"542611","type":"image","title":"Deidre Paris","body":null,"created":"1465412400","gmt_created":"2016-06-08 19:00:00","changed":"1475895333","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:55:33","alt":"Deidre Paris","file":{"fid":"90752","name":"paris_deidre.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/paris_deidre.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/paris_deidre.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":41739,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/paris_deidre.jpg?itok=IDpo6pbT"}}},"media_ids":["542601","542611"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/www.gatech.edu\/","title":"Georgia Tech"},{"url":"http:\/\/www.ece.gatech.edu\/","title":"School of Electrical and Computer Engineering"},{"url":"http:\/\/woodrow.org\/","title":"Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation"}],"groups":[{"id":"1255","name":"School of Electrical and Computer Engineering"}],"categories":[{"id":"130","name":"Alumni"}],"keywords":[{"id":"172102","name":"Deidre Paris"},{"id":"109","name":"Georgia Tech"},{"id":"166855","name":"School of Electrical and Computer Engineering"},{"id":"172103","name":"Wanda Harding"},{"id":"172104","name":"Woodrow Wilson Georgia Teaching Fellows"},{"id":"172105","name":"Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EJackie Nemeth\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESchool of Electrical and Computer Engineering\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E404-894-2906\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["jackie.nemeth@ece.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}