Royal City teacher gets second fellowship

ROYAL CITY - Royal High School science teacher Mario Godoy-Gonzalez has been awarded a fellowship for the Siemens STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) Institute in August.

This is the second summer science fellowship for Godoy-Gonzalez. The Society for Science and the Public (SSP) selected him for a summer-long program in Washington, D.C.

The latest fellowship was awarded by the Siemens Foundation and Discovery Education, in conjunction with the College Board. Godoy-Gonzalez will join a group of 50 middle and high school educators from across the country.

The 50 fellows will attend a one-week, expenses-paid professional development program. It will be held at the world headquarters of Discovery Communications near Washington, D.C. Fellows will be exposed to leading scientists, thought leaders, personalities and innovators whose work shapes and defines our world today.

The week will include field trips to leading institutions where fellows will observe real-world applications of STEM subject matter. Each fellow will be assigned to a thematic working group.

Afterward, fellows will serve as STEM ambassadors in their schools and communities. They will empower peers with the tools and knowledge gained at the institute.

Godoy-Gonzalez, also an English-as-a-second-language teacher, is the first SSP fellow from the state of Washington. After completion of the special training, he will be given $8,500 for use in the classroom and the community. 

Godoy-Gonzalez will receive on-going training and resources from the SSP. He may retain the fellowship for up to four years.

"The fellowship will allow me to continue supporting some of the extracurricular activities I am involved with at the school, SMART Teams for molecular modeling, the Student BioExpo and the Robotics teams," Godoy-Gonzalez said.