UTeach Engineers Future Educators

01/01/2024
By Marlon Pitter

For biomedical engineering alumnus William Zouzas ’22, education is a family affair: His mother and three of his four sisters work in education. 

The Chelmsford, Massachusetts, native completed the UTeach program during his undergraduate studies at UMass Lowell. Now pursuing a master’s degree in human factors engineering at Northeastern University, Zouzas says his underlying interest in teaching has evolved into a significant factor in his career path. 

“(Teaching) was always something in the back of my head,” he says. “Because of the UTeach program, I’m excited about that possibility.” 

UTeach is a national undergraduate teacher preparation program for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) majors that works in partnership with the School of Education at UMass Lowell. Since 2011, UTeach has offered students majoring in chemical, civil, computer, mechanical or plastics engineering, or the sciences, the opportunity to earn an initial teaching license so they can pursue a career instructing middle school and high school STEM in Massachusetts. In total, 90 UML students have completed the UTeach program, and 60 of them graduated with a license to teach. 

Clinical Assoc. Prof. and UTeach Director Sumudu Lewis says the program focuses on the practices and methods of teaching. Students start the UTeach minor with an introductory course, Exploring Teaching and Learning in STEM, in which they observe and teach classes at the middle school level. Along with taking UTeach courses on campus, participants teach in local middle and high schools en route to completing their practicum.

Lewis says she trains UTeach participants to teach with an “inquiry-based approach,” which cultivates a learning environment in which students can “be more inquisitive, curious and get engaged and work collaboratively.” 

While there is a growing shortage of STEM teachers in Massachusetts and nationwide, Lewis says engineering graduates who gain experience in industry before teaching can provide added insight into the field for students. 

“They have a lot more to offer and a more realistic view of what engineering is like,” she says. “We do encourage that, and I think vocational schools certainly encourage that.” 

“We’re hoping to add some lower-level engineering courses so we can expose students (to the field) who might not otherwise think that they would be successful or be interested in it.” -Mechanical engineering alumnus Matthew Thomas ’20

Sophomore civil engineering major Cameron Romano, a current UTeach student, plans to work in the engineering field after he graduates. Romano took an engineering class at Dracut High School with a teacher who had industry experience and said he hopes to offer a similar level of expertise if he becomes a teacher in the future.

“As an engineering major, I feel like it’s more relevant to have teachers (who have industry experience) to build on engineering departments in schools,” Romano says. “If you have engineering classes where you can learn AutoCAD and SOLIDWORKS … it’s really going to help you (in college).” 

Mechanical engineering alumnus Matthew Thomas ’20 considered becoming a teacher in high school, and he ultimately chose UMass Lowell over other universities because of the UTeach program. Once enrolled at UML, he added the minor “almost immediately.” 

“This is something I wanted to try,” he says of his initial interest in education. 

Working as an engineering teacher at Dracut High School since 2020, Thomas looks to bolster the range of opportunities for his students to explore the discipline. 

“We’re hoping to add some lower-level engineering courses so we can expose students (to the field) who might not otherwise think that they would be successful or be interested in it,” he says.