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Dozens of high school students tinkered away on robotic hands with the help of University of North Florida students and professors. Their goal was to translate the technology to affordable prosthetics for the community. Doctor Betina Malhotra is the associate director of curriculum and programs for NEF STEM and the STEP Lab at UNF. She said during the second week of the STEM2Hub-funded summer camps, students will see the impact their creations can have on others in Northeast Florida

Hoping to increase the number of minority teachers, the University of North Florida is offering scholarships.

Nine students were awarded full scholarships from the university through the Holmes Scholar Program. The students are beginning a challenging and promising path to becoming future educators. They are committed to becoming teachers in Northeast Florida.

Emanuel "Manny" Hernandez, Jr. earned a degree at UNF and was an employee with the Jumbo Shrimp until he died in a car accident in 2017. Now, UNF and the Jumbo Shrimp are teaming up to create a scholarship fund in his memory.

Four Jacksonville teachers got a big surprise in their classrooms Monday: $15,000 checks courtesy of the 2019 Gladys Prior Awards for Career Teaching Excellence.

The awards were established by Gilchrist Berg, founder and president of Water Street Capital, to honor teachers who have had lifelong careers in teaching and inspiring students.

To date, Berg has given more than $1 million to honor Jacksonville teachers with an award named after his fourth-grade teacher, Gladys Prior, at Ortega Elementary School.

The University of North Florida College of Education and Human Services manages the gift and coordinates the annual award competition.

The College of Education and Human Services is proud to be hosting this event in our STEP Lab and other locations within our College.

The University of North Florida's College of Education and Human Services was recently selected for inclusion in the national Holmes Scholars Network. This network allows us to offer students full scholarships, tailored support and mentoring, as well as networking opportunities with others in the Holmes Scholars community.

Dr. Kristi Sweeney's Sport Management Fundraising class is raising money for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. One team, Belle's Dwarfs, has raised over $5,400. Their goal is to raise as much money as possible by April 27. Action News Jax covered the team's fundraiser.

About 20 students and faculty from interpreting or deaf education programs at UNF, FSCJ, Flagler College and Ponte Vedra High School's dual education program with FSCJ manned booths about a variety of STEAM topics for about 110 deaf children from the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind in St. Augustine, Central Riverside Elementary in Jacksonville and Clay County Public Schools' deaf program.

As Florida's population continues to grow, an increasing demand for teachers exists. Numbers compiled by the Florida Education Association show there were 4,063 teacher vacancies statewide as the 2018-19 school year started.

Research indicates the positive impact that a quality public education has on income levels, economic growth and quality of life in a community.

UNF's College of Education and Human Services is a part of the solution. We are partnering with urban and rural districts in Northeast Florida to create high school teacher academies to encourage high school student exploration of the teaching profession. These include a virtual teaching academy designed to provide greater access.

The buzz of a 3D printer and hum of a robot on wheels are common sounds inside the Solve, Tinker, Explore and Play Lab at the University of North Florida.

They're among many pieces of technology at the new lab that aim to bolster interest in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math fields -- in both students and future teachers.