Kearns Junior High teacher Yevgeny Pevzner was selected as one of 10 middle school teachers in the nation to participate in the National STEM Scholar Program. It’s a unique development program offering STEM training.

“STEM matters to me because it opens doors,” Pevzner said in a release from the national organization. “It gives students the tools they need to ask questions, solve real-world problems and become creators–not just consumers–of technology and ideas. Being part of this program means I can bring even more opportunities, resources and inspiration back to my classroom and community.”

Created in partnership between the National Stem Cell Foundation and The Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science at Western Kentucky University, the program selects 10 teachers each year from a national pool of applicants based solely on the description of a “big idea” Challenge Project the applicant would implement in their classroom if funds were available. Selected projects are chosen for maximum impact in middle school classrooms where research shows lifelong STEM career decisions are being made. STEM Scholars convened on WKU’s campus in Bowling Green, Kentucky at the end of May for a week of advanced STEM training and finalization of their projects with input from their STEM Scholar class colleagues.

Other teachers came from schools in Mississippi, Texas, Idaho, North Carolina, Missouri, New Hampshire, Maine, Tennessee and Florida.

Dr. Julia Link Roberts, executive director of The Gatton Academy, said in a release that “This partnership will accrue benefits for the National STEM Scholars, middle school students in their classrooms and the middle school science teachers with whom they collaborate. The National STEM Scholar Program is an excellent way for teachers to learn new strategies and new ways to engage students to help them become and stay interested in science and math.”

The effort focuses on middle school students who are beginning to make decisions about the colleges and universities they want to attend, hoping to reverse a trend where studies show nearly half of eighth graders lose interest in pursuing STEM-related subjects.

Dr. Paula Grisanti, CEO of the National Stem Cell Foundation, said, “We added education to our mission and partnered with The Gatton Academy in 2015 to support the development of a new generation of scientists in academic research, advanced technology and infrastructure engineering. Supporting teachers who inspire and motivate middle school students at this critical decision-making age will directly impact how many choose to pursue the STEM skills essential for living-wage jobs. By investing in the influential middle school STEM teacher now, we reach thousands of students in classrooms today and far into the future.”

There are currently 100 National STEM Scholars in 37 states. The organization says those scholars directly or indirectly impact more than 190,000 middle school students in the U.S.