Wipro Science Education
The Greater New York Wipro Science Education Fellowship
Mercy University is excited to team up with University of Massachusetts at Boston and Montclair State University in New Jersey to become the Greater New York partner of the Wipro Science Education Fellowship. Dr. Amanda Gunning and Dr. Meghan Marrero, of the Mercy University School of Education, were awarded the $1.19 million grant to lead the Greater New York Wipro Science Education Fellowship (GNY Wipro SEF).
Wipro is an international information technology company that is based in India serving more than 61 countries. Because of their extensive work in the United States, they sought to fund science education innovation projects here. Dr. Arthur Eisenkraft of the University of Massachusetts originally earned their funding to run the SEF in a one-year program with Boston teachers. It has now grown to a program spanning seven states.
The SEF supports science teacher fellows from five local districts to develop leadership in science and STEM education. Participating districts: East Ramapo Central School District, City School District of New Rochelle, Port Chester-Rye United Free School District, Public Schools of the Tarrytowns and White Plains Central School District.
The goal is to keep good teachers in the classroom and develop their leadership skills to spread sustainable, increased STEM education district-wide. This program successfully been implemented in Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, California, Texas and Missouri and is the subject of a new book, "A Roadmap for Sustainable Science Teacher Leadership."
Reimagining
In 2022 Wipro Ltd. awarded $480,000 to
MCCSE for a new program, Wipro Reimagined,
for continued support of teacher leadership,
inspired by the foundational Wipro Science
Education Fellowship.
Wipro Reimagined supports STEM education
leadership projects led by original Wipro Science
Education Fellows that include their colleagues to
effect district change. This initiative continues for
the next four years, and hopefully beyond.
Projects to date have included:
fostering a professional learning community for
computer science education; developing curriculum
to support student engagement with materials
engineering; and creating elementary ecology lessons
to promote students’ scientific literacy as they build
and explore their school’s community garden.
In September 2024, Carmen King joined our team as a professional development coordinator and Wipro Science Education Fellowship project lead for the Center for STEM Education. She is a retired educator who has facilitated the learning of elementary-aged children for the past 35 years. She has been a Wipro Science Education Fellow and Westchester STEM Ambassador through our Mercy programs and is enjoying the transition from teaching and learning from children to teaching and learning from adult educators. She is currently working on an Ed.M. in Curriculum and Teaching at Teachers College.