King’s College Offering Teachers a Two-Day Workshop on Using Robotics to Teach STEM

King’s College today announced open registration for the upcoming Technology Exploration and Expansion for Noyce Scholars Institute, a networking and professional development workshop for math and science teachers taking place Oct. 19 and Oct. 20, 2025 on the third floor of the Sheehy-Farmer Campus Center.

The two-day event is backed by the National Science Foundation’s Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program and is open to educators from Pennsylvania, New York, and New Jersey who want to learn how to use robotics as a teaching tool and create STEM learning modules for students of all backgrounds. Participants will get a chance to deliver lessons to a group of high-school students visiting King’s College during the workshop as part of a field trip and tour.

All participants will earn a $450 stipend and a programmable robot kit for classroom use when they complete the course.

The event was planned in partnership with Northeast Noyce Professional Learning Network and University of Rochester. For registration and other information about the event—including agenda, hotels, and parking, visit https://www.rochester.edu/warner/northeastnoyce/in-person-local-learning-institutes/kings/. The event is limited to 40 registrants.

“The Noyce grant program has been instrumental in helping us empower students seeking math and science education careers in districts where they are needed the most,” said Elise Heiss, Ph.D., associate professor of chemistry. “This event is for anyone with a passion for STEM education: we want to help you thrive as an educator and make your classroom fun, engaging, and enriching for students from all walks of life.”

Last year, the NSF Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program awarded King’s College $1.45 million to operate a new recruitment, training, and mentorship program that will bring more K-12 math and science teachers to school districts in Northeastern Pennsylvania.

The grant covers up to two years of tuition, fees, books, and other costs for aspiring qualified STEM educators, as well as annual salary stipends upon successful employment.

King’s College has welcomed six Noyce scholars since the Fall 2024 semester, with more expected to join for the Spring 2025 semester. Spaces are still available, and prospective applicants are encouraged to visit www.kings.edu/noyce for more information.

The award was secured by a team of education, chemistry, and mathematics faculty, including Dr. Elise Heiss, Dr. Karen McCready, Dr. Andrew Wojcik, and Dr. Dara Soljaga, associate dean of education, with the help of Michelle Giovagnoli, director of institutional and academic grants. This is the largest faculty-initiated grant in the College’s history.

Materials produced for this institute and the Northeast Noyce Professional Learning Network are supported by the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program of the National Science Foundation under grant #2320386.