Anthony Rolle, the Dean of USF’s College of Education and David Rosengrant, Professor
of STEM Education and Campus Dean of USF’s College of Education, St. Petersburg Campus
were recently awarded a $1M grant to enhance USF-Suncoast Districts STEM Education
Program. Rolle was the Principal Investigator and Rosengrant was the Co-investigator.
The grant is administered by the US Department of Education.
The project has potential for improving current teacher preparation program models
in STEM education that could be replicated. The emphasis on interdisciplinary content,
research-based instructional and assessment strategies, and application to authentic
tasks also has potential to inform in-service teacher continued professional development.
The STEM Education Program cultivates and trains teachers to create experiences that excite and interest students of all background and to transform schools into vibrant STEM learning environments.
STEM is near and dear to Rosengrant’s heart who is considered a lifelong gamer. His research interests include physics education, virtual reality, eye-tracking technology, and video games as tools for teaching. He helped spearhead the University of South Florida's St. Petersburg campus STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) INQ Lab, a state-of-the-art facility that features robotics, 3D printing, laser printing, coding and virtual and augmented reality systems. The space allows aspiring educators and current faculty to infuse the latest in STEM into their teaching methods.