McPherson Magnet Teacher Greg Miller ’93 was named C-STEM Teacher of the Year.
UC Davis Center for Integrated Computing and STEM Education presented Miller with the C-STEM Robotics Teacher Award in November at UC Davis.
The C-STEM Teacher of the Year Awards recognize C-STEM teachers for their exceptional contributions in teaching computing, integrating computing into STEM subjects, and inspiring students to pursue careers and postsecondary study in C-STEM fields. Miller was one of only three in the state of California to be honored with the award.
Miller teaches C-STEM Robotics to third grade math students and has brought the program to the fourth and fifth grade students as well. Miller’s third grade students completed a demonstration of their C-STEM abilities at the state competition and the middle school team took the state championship that year.
McPherson Magnet is a K-8 STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) magnet program in the Orange Unified School District. The C-STEM Program focuses on integrating computing and robotics into regular classrooms with hands-on, project-based learning. The C-STEM Center (through UC Davis) has developed innovative computing and robotics technologies with C-STEM Studio and RoboBlockly – teaching strategies, textbooks, and courseware including lesson plans, PowerPoint lessons, video lessons, group computing activities, optional robotics activities, and assessment tools for ready integration of computer programming in C/C++ using Ch (a user-friendly C/C++ interpreter Ch) and robotics into the formal curricula for K-12.
C-STEM (Computing, Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) is a UC Approved Educational Preparation Program for Undergraduate Admission for both K-12 and Community College students to all UC campuses. Participation in the C-STEM program, C-STEM student individual and team awards, and extracurricular activities are recognized in the UC admission process as achievements that have explicitly prepared students for college and career.
Miller on the left is shown with his students and McPherson Magnet School Principal Joe Erven.