Clemson University to host regional teacher training conferences in Greenville

Published: January 25, 2011

CLEMSON — Clemson University has been awarded a $575,000 National Science Foundation grant to host regional conferences in Greenville during the next three years. Clemson’s Master of Arts in Teaching in Middle Grades program is the recipient of an NSF Noyce Foundation grant to train math and science teachers. 

Because Clemson University already has a Noyce grant program for scholarships, the school was eligible to apply for the conference grant.

Lienne Medford, associate dean of the Graduate School and a faculty member in Clemson’s Eugene T. Moore School of Education, is primary investigator for both grants. Her office is at the University Center of Greenville, where the conferences will be held March 24-26. 

“The Greenville business community, which is home to many high-tech industries, is excited about these NSF conferences and plans to be involved. I hope that one of our featured speakers will be from one of our partner industries,” she said. 

Penny Noyce, daughter of microprocessor inventor Robert Noyce, will be the keynote speaker at the conference. The Noyce Scholarships are named in his honor. 

“Ms. Noyce is very enthusiastic about addressing our regional scholars," Medford said. "She is especially excited about Clemson because she has just written a book on teaching middle school math and Clemson is one of the few Noyce grants that trains middle school teachers.” 

Noyce also will tour some area schools and conduct workshops. 

The conferences will include the Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research and SimHub, a University Center of Greenville project in which faculty and students can interact with new technologies to research and develop their teaching and learning functions.

Thirty-six universities in Virginia; Washington, D.C.; Tennessee; North Carolina; South Carolina; Georgia; Florida; Alabama; Mississippi; and Louisiana will be invited to send faculty and students to the conference at the University Center of Greenville.

For more information about the National Science Foundation Regional Conference grants, visit http://www.nsf.gov/bfa/dias/policy/outreach.jsp.

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University Center of Greenville
The University Center of Greenville is a coalition of university and community leaders dedicated to increasing access to educational opportunities for the citizens of the Upstate of South Carolina. The center offers more than 75 undergraduate and graduate degrees through Clemson, Furman, Lander, the Medical University of South Carolina, South Carolina State, the University of South Carolina and the University of South Carolina Upstate. For more information, call 864-250-1111 or visit the website at www.UCgreenville.org.