The Knowles Science Teaching Foundation (KSTF) recently announced its 2013 cohort of Teaching Fellows, two of whom are graduates of UC Santa Cruz: Rick Barlow (M.Ed., 2012) and Melissa Meloy (biochemistry and molecular biology, 2011). The selected fellows participated in a rigorous screening process. With only 15 percent of the applicant pool being chosen, they represent some of the top talent in the nation.
"I am very proud of both Melissa and Rick, who were outstanding Cal Teach interns during their undergraduate years at UCSC," said Gretchen Andreasen, director of UCSC's Cal Teach program, which provides internships, coursework, and scholarships for prospective math and science teachers.
The KSTF teaching fellowships address the recruitment, training, and retention of exceptional science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) teacher candidates, with the aim of improving STEM education in the nation by building a stable, sustainable corps of STEM teacher leaders. Barlow and Meloy, along with the other 33 members of the 2013 cohort, are committed to teaching STEM subjects to high school students in the United States. Designed specifically to develop beginning teachers into teacher leaders, the teaching fellowships offer support and guidance as fellows embark on the credentialing process and their teaching careers.
Barlow holds a bachelor's degree in mathematics and a master's degree in education from UCSC. He has just begun his second year as a mathematics teacher at Fremont High School in Sunnyvale.
Meloy holds a bachelor's degree in biochemistry and molecular biology from UCSC and a master's degree in education from Stanford University. She is teaching chemistry at Menlo-Atherton High School in Atherton.
The Knowles Science Teaching Foundation (KSTF) was established by Janet H. and C. Harry Knowles in 1999 to increase the number of high-quality high school science and mathematics teachers and, ultimately, improve math and science education in the United States. The KSTF Teaching Fellowship, the Foundation's signature program, awards exceptional young men and women with a five-year early-career fellowship, empowering them to become master teachers and leaders in education.
