This UF graduate is one of 13 students to be accepted into a Master of Art in Teaching (MAT) program at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City.
Iliya Smithka, originally from Silver Spring, Maryland, earned her master’s in geology from UF.
Smithka said the MAT program teaches those who studied earth science how to teach seventh- to 12th-graders.
After Smithka earns her MAT degree, she will teach for four years at a high-needs middle school or high school in New York City or Yonkers, wrote the manager of media relations, in an email.
“I want to become an excellent teacher,” wrote Smithka in an email. Smithka started the 15-month program in June
The MAT program accepts 13 to 15 students every year and is awarded through a competitive fellowship program.
All coursework — online and at the museum — is provided tuition-free, and fellows receive an additional stipend for expenses, according to the press release.
The program integrates academic theory and learning while applying it to a school setting.
“In the same manner, the education and science departments have broken the education and science divides,” said Maritza Macdonald, the co-director of the MAT program.
Macdonald said the academic courses are co-taught between educators and scientists.
“With this effort we hope to be preparing the best science teachers for the neediest students,” Macdonald said.
