Erdogan Kaya, Ph.D.

My interest in teaching dates back to my years in middle school.  I excelled in my computer and physical science courses. My role models were young, enthusiastic and hard-working teachers and I strived to be their best student. At this time, I decided to involve teaching and engineering, and computer science into my career path.

In 2002, based on my score on the National University Entrance Exam, I was accepted to Anadolu University, the second largest university in the world by enrollment. I was placed in my second option, chemical engineering right after computer science, based on my exam score. Under the guidance of a few leading engineers, I made the first step of my academic expedition. After years of study and hard work, like most students in the department, I finished all the required courses of chemical engineering.

What distinguishes me, however, is my competence in science methodology, mathematics, computer science, technology, and my desire to tutor my course mates. Thanks to the thirst for knowledge in STEM+CS subjects, I did not find much difficulty in many courses. I always ranked the first or second out of about 200 students, most of whom are from the faculty of engineering. The study not only equipped me with a strong background, but also added to my interest and confidence in STEM and CS. I've also had the opportunity to improve my teaching skills by spending my extra time voluntarily tutoring high school students. Those opportunities, both enjoyable and enlightening, provided me with a new and different perspective as a teacher.

When I graduated, I finally had a chance to do my dream job; I started teaching. My former school district signed a dual enrollment contract with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, which is the world's largest, fully accredited university specializing in aviation and aerospace, to offer college-level engineering and CS courses to high school students. This program gave me the opportunity to teach university-level engineering and CS classes to my thirsty-for-knowledge students.  I have also received STEM-K12 Engineering teaching certificate from Arizona Department of Education and a general teaching license from Canik Basari University.

After getting my Bachelor of Science degree in chemical engineering, I had an opportunity to continue my education and received my Master's Degree in computer science. During my graduate training, I have been fortunate enough to also serve as a robotics coach and received the Tri-State, State, and Regional Winning Alliance Award in First Tech Challenge Level. My robotics students were granted US provisional patent accepted by the US Patent Office “Orthodontic Bracket and Positioning System” that brings a sophisticated approach and alternative to classical orthodontic braces by proposing switching to circular brace mechanism. I completed and was awarded several different grants and raised more than $25,000, which continued and expanded robotics programs in elementary through secondary school at a Title 1 school. I was chosen as teacher of the year by National Center for Women in Information Technology (NCWIT), which is a non-profit organization that recognizes, promotes and honors contributions in computer and technology related fields, for my contributions to encourage girls to choose computer science fields in college.  I look forward to continuing my work in teaching by helping pre-service teachers accomplish their own dreams.

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