Katy Teacher Named a Top STEM Scholar, Selected for National Program
- ncookclark
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KATY MAGAZINE NEWS
May 21, 2025
By Natalie Cook Clark
Katy ISD teacher Lalita Khemka is among ten middle school teachers from ten states who have been selected to participate in the prestigious National STEM Scholar Program. She is a teacher at Cardiff Junior High School.
Lalita Khemka, a teacher at Cardiff Junior High School, has been selected to participate in the prestigious National STEM Scholar Program, a unique professional development program providing advanced STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) training, national network building and project support for middle school science teachers nationwide.
Empowering Students
“STEM empowers students to turn ideas into real-world solutions through creativity, engineering, and problem-solving. Being part of this program is important to me because it gives students the hands-on experiences they need to build confidence, think critically, and make a lasting impact on the world around them,” says Lalita Khemka.
Studies show that junior high school students who become excited about science are more likely to pursue STEM courses in high school and major in them at the technical and college levels. At a pivotal time in decision-making that will open or close the door to opportunity, however, nearly 50% of 8th graders in America lose interest in pursuing the STEM-related subjects increasingly required for 21st-century jobs.
The National STEM Scholar Program (created in partnership between the National Stem Cell Foundation and The Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science at Western Kentucky University,) selects ten teachers each year from a national pool of applicants based solely on the description of a “big idea” Challenge Project the applicant would implement in their classroom if funds were available.
“Supporting teachers who inspire and motivate middle school students at this critical decision-making age will directly impact how many choose to pursue the STEM skills essential for living-wage jobs,” says Dr. Paula Grisanti, CEO of the National Stem Cell Foundation. “By investing in the influential middle school STEM teacher now, we reach thousands of students in classrooms today and far into the future.”
Selected projects are chosen for maximum impact in middle school classrooms where research shows lifelong STEM career decisions are being made. STEM Scholars convene on WKU’s campus for a week of advanced STEM training and finalize their projects with input from their STEM Scholar class colleagues.
Nationl STEM Scholar Program is now in its 10th year and now has 100 National STEM Scholars representing middle schools in 37 states. 93% teach in public schools, 44% teach in mid- to high-poverty schools, and 39% teach in communities with a population under 15,000.
A unique requirement of the program is the responsibility for STEM Scholars to share lessons learned with colleagues in their home schools, districts or states, magnifying impact over multiple classrooms and years. By June 2026, National STEM Scholars will have directly and indirectly impacted more than 190,000 junior high students in the U.S.