Dr. Cynthia Osterhus, an assistant professor of teacher education at Catawba College, has been selected to participate in a planning meeting to design a national project on the effective use of the Internet in the pre- service training of K-12 teachers. The meeting, organized by the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC), will be held December 2-3 at the Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, N.J.

Osterhus joined the faculty of Catawba in 2003 and works with pre-service teacher education in math and science.  She also serves as coordinator of the mathematics education program. Prior to that, she worked as a teacher-educator in the sciences and mathematics for 30 years in the Rowan-Salisbury School System.  She served 13 years as coordinator for that system’s K-8 science program, and 17 years as a middle and high school mathematics teacher. Additionally, she served as director of professional development for 10 years in that same school system.

She has been recognized for her exemplary performance in the classroom by being chosen in 1985 as a finalist in NASA’s Teacher in Space program.  In 1984, she was named N.C. Gifted and Talented Teacher of the Year, and recognized in 1987 as the N.C. Teacher of the Year.