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RESOURCE CENTER > PROGRAM OF THE MONTH
June: Alliance/Merck Ciencia Scholars Program
The Merck Company Foundation awarded a $4 million grant to the National Alliance for Hispanic Health to establish the Alliance/Merck Ciencia Scholars Program. The program is a new partnership that will work to improve Hispanic student access to higher education and degrees in STEM. The Alliance will work with the Merck Institute for Science Education (MISE) to select and award grants to promising Hispanic students from predominantly Hispanic communities have a history in working with the Alliance and MISE. Fifty students will receive $42,500 in college scholarships and internship support to pursue STEM degrees, and an additional 125 Hispanic college students nationwide will receive $2,000 scholarships.
June: Carnegie Academy for Science Education (CASE)
The Carnegie Institution, a preeminent basic research organization, encourages interest in science among school children and teachers in Washington, D.C. through the Carnegie Academy for Science Education (CASE). Since 1994, CASE has offered professional development for D.C. teachers of science, mathematics, and technology. Emphasis in all programs is on inquiry-based, hands-on approaches to learn and teach the processes and content of school science. First Light, a Saturday science program during the school year for middle school students from D.C. schools, offers hands-on science activities such as constructing and programming robots, investigating pond ecology using microscopes and electronic probes, the study of the solar system and telescope building.
May: Teachers Teaching with Technology (T3)
Sponsored by Texas Instrument's education technology business, Teachers Teaching with Technology (T3) was founded on the principle of teachers teaching other teachers. The program includes more than 20 unique week-long institutes in which more than 40,000 teachers from all levels learn more about the latest methods in teaching math and science.
April: Commonwealth Institute for Parent Leadership
In partnership with the AT&T Foundation, the corporate philanthropy organization of AT&T Inc., the Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence is developing a special Commonwealth Institute for Parent Leadership focused on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The special institute, which will be held in the fall of 2008, will provide leadership training and support to parents to help them become advocates for improved science and math education in their schools and communities. The program will be designed and implemented in partnership with the Carol Martin Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science and The Center for Gifted Studies at Western Kentucky University.
March: Labs Are Vital
Sponsored by Abbott Laboratories, Labs Are Vital™ is a program aimed to address the workforce shortage that clinical laboratories are facing. Only two new clinical laboratory scientists enter the field for every seven facing retirement. In a new initiative, Labs Are Vital™ is tapping into Facebook, a popular social networking Web site, to reach out to more than four million students with an interest in life sciences. Labs Are Vital™ is utilizing the site as a tool to educate high school and college students about career opportunities in the clinical laboratory science profession. A Facebook page, sponsored by Labs Are Vital™, will enable interested, career-minded high school and college students to meet current clinical lab science students or recent graduates, learn about the benefits and challenges of the profession from their peers and enter a scholarship contest. Read more about Labs are Vital by clicking here >> or watch the video by clicking here >>
February: For Girls Science
L’Oreal USA, in partnership with Invent Now and the Lawrence Hall of Science at University of California, Berkeley, founded the For Girls in Science program to foster interest in learning science among girls. The program includes summer science camps and after-school science clubs featuring hands-on activities that demonstrate the practical applications of science relevant to daily life. L’Oreal USA recently received the NJ Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development “Friends of Education” award for its innovative programming, launched in 2007-2008 as a pilot in New Jersey and New York to foster STEM learning among young girls.
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January: GE Foundation's College Board
The GE Foundation’s College Bound program provides grants in partnership with selected schools and GE businesses, in order to double the rate of college attendance from low–income and inner–city schools in GE communities. Each school creates its own project, and in Kentucky, two school districts have dedicated their collective $40 million dollars in grant awards to develop hands-on science curricula in its elementary and middle schools.
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December:
Siemens Competition in Math, Science & Technology
Administered by The College Board and funded by the Siemens Foundation, the Siemens Competition in Math, Science & Technology fosters scientific interest and talent early on by presenting an opportunity for students to achieve national recognition for science research projects that they complete in high school. This year, two seniors from Plainview-Old Bethpage won first place, splitting the $100,000 scholarship prize. For the first time in the competition’s history, girls swept both the team and individual divisions. James Whaley, president of the Siemens Foundation, said that female participation in the competition has been increasing every year, and this year’s competition results send a great message to young women.
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November:
Lemelson-MIT InvenTeams
InvenTeams is a national grants initiative of the Massachusetts Institute
of Technology's Lemelson-MIT Program that fosters inventiveness among
high school students. InvenTeams are composed of high school students,
teachers and mentors who are asked to collaboratively identify a problem
they want to solve, research the problem, and then develop a prototype
invention as an in-class or extracurricular project. Grants of up to $10,000
support each team's efforts. InvenTeams are encouraged to work with community
partners, specifically the potential beneficiaries of their invention.
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October:
Intel Schools of Distinction
To promote high-quality math and science education, Intel honors U.S.
schools that have demonstrated excellence in those fields as Intel Schools
of Distinction. One elementary, one middle and one high school in each
of two categories - math and science - receive $10,000 cash grants and
$150,000 in products and services from sponsors. One of the six winning
schools is chosen as the Star Innovator, and receives an additional $15,000
grant from the Intel Foundation as well as further products and services.
Winning programs, which have developed an environment and curricula that
meet or exceed the national mathematics and science content standards,
serve as models for schools across the country. By replicating proven
programs such as those honored as Schools of Distinction, schools can
reinvigorate their own science and mathematics programs to inspire the
next generation of scientists and mathematicians.
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September:
Program on Science in the Public Interest
Partnering with Triple Helix, the Smithsonian Natural Museum of American
History and Advancing Science, Serving Society, Georgetown University
provides students with hands-on exposure to some of the most challenging
science and societal problems through the Program on Science in the Public
Interest (SPI). Students develop creative and practical solutions through
direct dialogue with congressional staff, Members of Congress, administration
officials, journalists, scientists, business leaders and entrepreneurs.
Students participate in seminars, internships, Congressional visits and
student projects, engaging the government on scientific issues that are
shaping the nation and the world. In 2007, for example, SPI students advocated
for a "green college campuses" initiative, and their idea was included
in Senator Jeff Bingaman's Energy Efficiency Act. Ninety-eight percent
of students involved in SPI graduate with a science degree.
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August:
Challenge X
Together, General Motors Corporation (GM), The Department of Energy, and
other government and industry leaders have developed a new competition
called Challenge X: Crossover to Sustainable Mobility. This
ground-breaking, three-year competition gives seventeen engineering schools
an opportunity to re-engineer a GM Equinox to become more energy efficient
and environmentally friendly, while also maintaining the vehicle's utility
and performance. Following GM's Global Vehicle Development Process, the
teams gain valuable experience in real-world engineering practices and
develop a strong understanding of advanced vehicle technologies that will
prepare them to lead the automotive industry into the 21st Century and
enable North America to remain competitive in the global marketplace.
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July: FIRST
Among its many supporters, including Delphi, General Motors, Motorola,
Xerox, Abbott and Fed Ex, FIRST designs accessible, innovative
programs for elementary and high school students to not only build an
interest in science and technology, but also self-confidence, leadership,
and life skills. FIRST signature programs include a Robotics competition,
Vex and Tech Challenge and a LEGO league where students have the opportunity
to compete against other students from around the country and world. Now
in is 18th year, the program has over 130,000 participating students with
60,000 volunteers and has successfully shown that students who participate
in their challenges are more than twice as likely to pursue a career in
science and technology.
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June: Worldwide
Youth in Science and Engineering
Supported in part by John Deere and the college of engineering at the
University of Illinois, Worldwide Youth in Science and Engineering
is a pre-college engineering program that allows students the opportunity
to spend 1-2 weeks on the John Deere campus, living in dormitories, and
attending pre-engineering classes. The goal of the program is to help
students, prior to their 1st year of college, determine which discipline
or field of engineering to select as a major upon entering college.
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May:
Siemens Science Day
Siemens Science Day is an innovative program designed to captivate
young students' interest in math, science and technology. Siemens employees
visit local elementary and middle schools to talk about the importance
of math and science and position them as "cool" subjects that can lead
to exciting career opportunities. In addition to speaking to about these
subjects, Siemens employees also conduct hands-on science experiments
with the students to demonstrate the demonstrate fundamentals of math
and science.
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April:
National Math and Science Initiative (NMSI)
Created to help foster the next generation of scientists and engineers
to improve U.S. global competitiveness, The National Math and Science
Initiative (NMSI), is a non-profit initiative overseen by a board of innovators
in the field of math and science education. ExxonMobil has pledged its
support of the initiative with a recently announced commitment of $125
million. Developed in 2005 in response to the National Academies' "Rising
Above the Gathering Storm" report, NMSI will focus first on the development
of two programs: Advanced Placement (AP) Strategies and UTeach.
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March:
EX.I.T.E.
Sponsored by IBM, EX.I.T.E. - Exploring Interests in Technology and Engineering
- is a camp developed for middle-school girls to explore making a difference
through math and science technology. EX.I.T.E. encourages girls with an
opportunity to participate in various engineering and science-related
projects and provides professional female role models during the week-long
camp. Participants work with IBM volunteers on innovative projects and
present their innovations to IBM executives. Now in its eighth year, the
program reports that 85% of more than 5,000 participants have an increased
interest in pursuing an engineering or technical-related degree.
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February: TEEMSS
2
Developed by the Concord Consortium and funded by the National Science
Foundation, TEEMSS 2 - Technology Enhanced Elementary Math and Science
- is a project that provides information and communication technology
for science education in grades 3-8. The TEEMSS 2 project creates valuable
technology-based science learning materials and provides opportunities
for teacher professional development. The materials address important
science content and can be easily and inexpensively integrated into any
science program. The project has selected age-appropriate, standards-based
content for which technology offers real advantages.
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January:
TOYchallenge
TOYchallenge is a national toy design competition aimed at engaging middle
school-age students, especially girls, in science and engineering and
inspiring them to pursue careers in those fields. TOYchallenge is organized
and supported by Sally Ride Science,™ which was founded by astronaut
Sally Ride to support young women interested in science, math, engineering
and technology. Through participation in TOYchallenge, students in grades
5-8 experience the engineering design process as a fun, creative and collaborative
process. Teams practice the engineering design process through brainstorming,
researching, designing, creating a prototype and testing their creation.
Toy creations can be submitted into any of three categories including
"Games for the Family," "Get out and Play," and "Toys That Teach."
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December:
eCYBERMISSION
eCYBERMISSION is a free, Web-based competition that focuses on strengthening
science, math and technology skills in the 6th through 9th grades. The
eCYBERMISSION competition helps to promote and recognize real world applications
for these skills. Each student team, along with an advisor, identifies
a problem in their community that is related to health and safety, arts
and entertainment, sports and recreation, or the environment. Teams then
compete for regional and national recognition. The U.S. Army sponsors
this competition to help increase the number of students pursuing science,
math and technology careers nationwide to ensure that the United States
remains globally competitive.
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November: MATHCOUNTS
Designed to increase enthusiasm for and enhance achievement in middle
school mathematics, MATHCOUNTS is a national enrichment, coaching and
competition program. Developed by The MATHCOUNTS Foundation in 1984, MATHCOUNTS
promotes middle school mathematics achievement through grassroots involvement
in every U.S. state. MATHCOUNTS provides free curriculum materials to
thousands of teachers, which challenges and motivates students to develop
strong math skills. The MATHCOUNTS competition series, featured on ESPN,
allows participating schools to compete in one of more than 500 written
and oral competitions held nationwide. MATHCOUNTS is one of the country's
largest and most successful education partnerships and has received two
White House citations as an outstanding private sector initiative.
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October:
SOAR (Schools' Online Assessment Reports)
Battelle for Kids implemented Project SOAR (Schools' Online Assessment
Reports) in 2002 to support Ohio school districts that are committed to
continuous school improvement to enhance teaching and learning. Its' initial
mission was to provide value-added analysis to participating school districts
that helped to demonstrate how progress information can be used as a diagnostic
tool for school improvement. Through utilizing the SOAR secure Web site,
participating educators have access to district, building, grade and student-level
performance data, including reports in science, social studies, reading
and math for grades 3-8. SOAR expanded its scope of services in 2005,
to become a comprehensive school improvement collaborative, offering an
array of services and benefits to more than 100 Ohio school districts
representing 30 percent of students in grades 3-8 statewide.
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September:
Figure This!
Developed by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics and funded
by the National Science Foundation and U.S. Department of Education, Figure
This! was created in response to today's technological society and the
need for U.S. citizens to master skills in higher-level concepts and problem
solving. Figure This! has designed challenges for families, which provide
stimulating mathematical thinking so that middle-school students can work
at home and with their families. Figure This! emphasizes the importance
of high quality math education for all students through its creative challenges
that make math both appealing and fun.
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August:
The Metro School
Designed to serve students who want a personalized learning experience
that prepares them for the global economy where math, science and technology
are critical, The Metro School provides a small and vibrant learning community
open to students in Franklin Country, Ohio. Businesses and organizations,
including Battelle, The Ohio State University and the Coalition of Essential
Schools National, provide funding for the school, allowing students to
have the opportunity to participate in an integrated curriculum that fosters
critical thinking, creativity and communication with an emphasis on how
math, science and technology shape the world.
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Created to help students see the true value of math and science and its varied applications to high tech engineering, The Infinity Project works with schools nationwide to bring the best of engineering to their students. Simple, powerful classroom strategies including curriculum, technology kits and professional development courses for teachers, combined with on-site computer and lab facilities, yields a program that generates student interest and excitement in engineering.
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Designed for use by schools in partnership with community organizations, the Lunar Challenge program teaches technological design skills while exposing middle school students to potential careers. With a philosophy that parent involvement improves student performance, Lunar Challenge brings kids and parents together with career mentors to stimulate students and enhance their interest in science. Using the Lunar Challenge kit and lesson plans, families must work as a team and interact with other families to build a simulated colony capable of supporting life on the moon.
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