Preuss School Teacher Anne Artz Awarded Einstein Fellowship

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Anne Artz, a teacher at The Preuss School UCSD, has been selected as one of only 27 K-12 educators nationwide to be a Congressional Fellow for the 2013-2014 Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship Program, where she will serve for an academic year as a representative and promoter for STEM education (science, technology, engineering and math). The program is coordinated by the Triangle Coalition for Science and Technology Education, a non-profit organization based in Washington, D.C. that advocates and supports STEM programming in schools.

Anne Artz. Photo by Erik Jepsen/UC San Diego Publications

Artz teaches advanced biology and environmental science at Preuss, in addition to serving as the Science Department chair and ASB student leadership advisor. She will begin her fellowship this September in one of the Congressional offices, where she will spend 11 months providing input on legislation, meeting with constituents to discuss education policy, and attending hearings to promote the importance of STEM education.

“I feel strongly that underrepresented students—such as those from Preuss, and girls in particular—need a solid foundation in STEM education before they go to college,” said Artz. “This is an amazing opportunity to be able to dialog with policymakers and those with a strong interest in education about how best to meet the needs of students in STEM fields. I’m excited and really hope I can make an impact.”

The Preuss School UCSD is a unique charter middle and high school for low income, highly-motivated students who strive to become the first in their families to graduate from a four-year college or university. Located on the UC San Diego campus, the school is jointly chartered by UC San Diego and the San Diego Unified School District.

Founded in 1990, the Einstein Fellowship Program is a paid fellowship for K-12 STEM educators with a goal of increasing communication and cooperation between policymakers and the STEM education community. As teachers, Einstein Fellows provide unique classroom insight to legislators and work to improve the quality and reach of STEM programs.

For more information about the Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship Program, visit www.trianglecoalition.org. To learn more about The Preuss School, visit http://preuss.ucsd.edu