History

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:

• Intensive summer programs incorporating research projects, formal lectures and curriculum development.
• Themed weekend coursework for building STEM education content and hands-on classroom curriculum.
• In partnership with the Arizona K-12 Center, professional
  coaching, mentoring and ongoing classroom support provided by
  experienced, master-level math and science teachers.
• A STEM teacher Web site and portal with online resources,
  toolkits, discussion boards and forums for sharing best practices,
  professional development and mentoring opportunities.
• Broad-based linking partnerships for educators to access
  state-of-the-art teacher resources through the UA College of Science,
  the B2 Institute and B2 Earthscience, and other educational entities.

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.

Mission & Goals

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 system and its place in the universe.