The Arizona Center for STEM Teachers (ACST) was created through a three-year, $1.5 million grant by Science Foundation Arizona (SFAz) to The University of Arizona's B2 Institute to establish a resource and training center that will expand the quality and retention of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) teachers in Arizona. The Philecology Foundation is partnering and providing a matching grant to fully fund the Center.
The Center’s mission is to enhance and deepen the skills of Arizona STEM educators to ensure that their teaching translates to successful graduates who can effectively compete and prosper in the 21st century marketplace. Located at the Biosphere 2 facility in Oracle, the Center is part of the UA's B2 Institute and is slated to engage more than 300 teachers statewide within three years.
The Center is teacher-driven and provides Arizona STEM teachers with:
An essential feature of the Center's programs is the role played by veteran teachers in developing and enabling statewide teacher professional development, and the universal support of faculty from all three Arizona universities needed to bring about systemic change.
The mission of ACST is directly in line with that of Biosphere 2: to serve as a center for research, outreach, teaching and lifelong learning about Earth, its living systems and its place in the universe.