Presidential Awardees for Math and Science Teaching Honored in Washington DC

This year’s recipients of the Presidential Awards for Excellence for Mathematics and Science Teaching were feted earlier this month during their four-day visit to Washington, DC, where they participated in professional development activities, traveled to Capitol Hill and enjoyed a special White House ceremony in their honor. The 52 science teachers and 51 math teachers from grades 7-12, also received a $10,000 award.

• Read more about the PAEMST week in Washington, D.C.
• Read the White House press release and learn more about the program and winners
• Meet this year's Presidential Awardees for Excellence for Mathematics and Science Teaching

How great would it be to have math and science teachers associated with the BDPA Student IT Education & Scholarship (SITES) program being honored by the President next year?!? Do you know any math or science teachers in your local school who should be recognized in the future for their efforts?

2010 Science and Engineering Indicators Report

The National Science Board released its Science and Engineering Indicators 2010 report.

According to the report, produced every two years, the state of U.S. science and engineering is still strong, but our nation’s global primacy in science and engineering has significantly dropped in recent years, largely because of rapidly increasing capabilities among East Asian nations, particularly China.

The detailed report also presents information about elementary and secondary science and math education, the science and engineering labor force, and public attitudes and understanding about science and technology, among other things.

Any thoughts on how the findings in this report should influence the direction of BDPA programs and services over the coming year?

Nominate a Teacher for the 2010 Presidential Awards

The Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching is the highest award a K–12 math or science teacher may receive for outstanding teaching in the U.S. The President officially names up to 108 teachers annually (award winners from 2007 shown in the above photo). Awards alternate between elementary and secondary teachers -- with elementary teachers eligible in 2010 -- and are given to teachers from each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the outlying territories, and Department of Defense schools.

Since 1983, more than 4,000 teachers have been recognized for their contributions to mathematics and science education. If you know great teachers, nominate them to join this prestigious network of professionals. It would be great to see teachers that support BDPA nominated this time!

The deadline for 2010 award nominations is May 1, 2010.

Cincinnati: Bio-Science City

by Val Prevish

When it comes to health care research, Cincinnati is in the top tier of cities nationally because of renowned institutions such as Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center (CCHMC) and the University of Cincinnati (UC). It is no surprise, then, that our city is also home to some up and coming health care products companies who find plenty to like about being in Cincinnati.

Carol Frankenstein, president of BIOSTART, a life sciences start up organization based in Corryville funded through a public and private collaborative, says that the strength of Cincinnati's talent pool in health care research and education has been a big boost for the local medical products industry.

With more than $300 million in research grants each year between both UC and CCHMC, the area is known as a brain trust of new ideas and breakthroughs, she says.

Read the rest of the Soapbox Cincinnati article here.

Toyota TAPESTRY Program Accepting Entries for the 20th Annual Science Grant Competition

The Toyota TAPESTRY Grants for Science Teachers program, one of the largest science teacher grant programs in the United States, is now accepting entries for the 2009-2010 competition. Sponsored by Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A. and administered by the National Science Teachers Association, the program offers grants of up to $10,000 each to K-12 teachers for innovative science projects that enhance science education in their school or district over a one-year period.

Fifty large grants and a minimum of 20 mini-grants totaling $550,000 will be awarded this year. Individual science teachers or a team of up to five teachers can submit proposals in one of three categories: physical science application; environmental science education; and integrating literacy and science. A judging panel convened by the NSTA will select the award-winning projects based on several criteria, including their innovative approach in teaching science and ability to create a stimulating and hands-on learning environment.

Applicants must either be an elementary teacher who teaches science in the classroom or a middle or high school science teacher. Applicants must be residents of one of the 50 states or a resident of Washington, D.C.; Puerto Rico; or the U.S. territories including American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

For more information about the Toyota TAPESTRY Grants for Science Teachers program or to learn how to apply, visit the link to Complete RFP.

Obama wants USA to be World Leader in Science

President Barack Obama laid out a deck of initiatives in a speech at the National Academy of Sciences, where he vowed to implement what he described as the largest-ever US investment in scientific research and a dramatic reversal of ideology-driven policies of his predecessor George W. Bush.

The clarion call for the country to regain its position as the world leader in scientific research and innovation came as the Obama administration faced its first major global health crisis in the recent deadly outbreak of swine flu in Mexico and the United States that threatens to burst into a pandemic.

"At such a difficult moment, there are those who say we cannot afford to invest in science, that support for research is somehow a luxury at a moment defined by necessities," Obama told hundreds of scientists, researchers and educators. "I fundamentally disagree. Science is more essential for our prosperity, our security, our health, our environment, and our quality of life than it has ever been."

Read the rest of the article...

3rd Annual ScienceOnline Conference

Soulclap to SES: Science, Education & Society for telling us about 3rd annual ScienceOnline Conference, the annual science blogging conference, to be held Jan. 16-18, 2009 in Research Triangle Park, NC.

The goal is to bring together scientists, bloggers, educators, students, journalists and others to discuss, demonstrate and debate online strategies and tools for promoting the public understanding of science.

The event is already sold-out.

One of the interesting panel discussions will focus on race in science – online and offline — moderated by Danielle Lee and Samia Ansari. Do most people still assume that if there is no profile picture, most readers will automatically assume that the author is white. What can be done to promote minorities blogging? How can blogs by minorities be used to attract kids into science careers? How the Web provides new methods and means for action and effecting positive change. Go here to discuss.

I hope that BDPA finds a way to use Web 2.0 tools ... including blogs ... to market and promote itself over the coming weeks and months. In fact, I wonder if we are promoting our 2009 BDPA Technology Conference ... that is also being held in the Research Triangle area ... at the 2009 ScienceOnline Conference.

Please share your thoughts on this conference via the COMMENTS option shown below. What say u?

Obama-Biden: 'Science, Technology and Innovation for a New Generation'

BDPA members should be aware of the Science, Technology and Innovation Plan promised by Barack Obama and Joe Biden during the recent campaign. We need to follow-up to ensure that these plans are put into action. More importantly, we need to ensure that our organization supports this plan on a local and national level.

Here are some of the highlights from the Barack-Biden plans:

Bring Government into the 21st Century: Barack Obama and Joe Biden will use technology to reform government and improve the exchange of information between the federal government and citizens while ensuring the security of our networks. Obama and Biden believe in the American people and in their intelligence, expertise, and ability and willingness to give and to give back to make government work better. Obama will appoint the nation's first Chief Technology Officer (CTO) to ensure that our government and all its agencies have the right infrastructure, policies and services for the 21st century. The CTO will ensure the safety of our networks and will lead an interagency effort, working with chief technology and chief information officers of each of the federal agencies, to ensure that they use best-in-class technologies and share best practices.

Deploy Next-Generation Broadband: Barack Obama believes that America should lead the world in broadband penetration and Internet access. As a country, we have ensured that every American has access to telephone service and electricity, regardless of economic status, and Obama will do likewise for broadband Internet access. Obama and Biden believe we can get true broadband to every community in America through a combination of reform of the Universal Service Fund, better use of the nationʼs wireless spectrum, promotion of next-generation facilities, technologies and applications, and new tax and loan incentives.

Make the R&D Tax Credit Permanent: Barack Obama wants investments in a skilled research and development workforce and technology infrastructure to be supported here in America so that American workers and communities will benefit.

Make Math and Science Education a National Priority: Obama and Biden will recruit math and science degree graduates to the teaching profession and will support efforts to help these teachers learn from professionals in the field. He will also work to ensure that all children have access to a strong science curriculum at all grade levels.

Improve and Prioritize Science Assessments: Science assessments need to do more than test facts. They need to measure a student's higher order thinking skills including inference, logic, data analysis, interpretation, forming questions and communication. Barack Obama and Joe Biden will work with governors and educators to ensure that state assessments measure these skills.

Address the Dropout Crisis: Obama and Biden will address the dropout crisis by passing his legislation to provide funding to school districts to invest in intervention strategies in middle school - strategies such as personal academic plans, teaching teams, parent involvement, mentoring, intensive reading and math instruction, and extended learning time.

Pinpoint College Aid for Math and Science Students: In 2007, Barack Obama introduced the National STEM Scholarship Database Act, which would launch an innovative online database to coordinate information on financial aid opportunities available in science and technology fields through the federal government and public or private resources. Access to this information is especially crucial for first generation college students who might otherwise receive limited guidance in how to successfully pursue, and finance, a degree in science or technology.

Increase Science and Math Graduates: Obama and Biden will improve science and math education in K through 12, to prepare more students for these studies in college. They will work to increase our number of science and engineering graduates and encourage undergraduates studying math and science to pursue graduate studies. They will also work to increase the representation of minorities and women in the science and technology pipeline, tapping the diversity of America to meet the increasing demand for a skilled workforce. The challenges of the 21st century can only be met by combining many skills from people with many backgrounds. America's diversity is a clear competitive advantage if we use it.

---

It will be nice to have a president who wants to protect the openness of the Internet, deploy a modern communications infrastructure and improve America's competitiveness through science and technology.

What are your thoughts on these high-level plans?

Karen Ventii - Science Blogging Star

Bora Zivkovic conducted an interview series at the 2008 North Carolina Science Blogging Conference. One of his interview subjects is Karen Ventii, African American Ph.D student of bio-chemistry at Emory University. Karen is interested in science and medical journalism as a career.

Karen studies full-time, however she found opportunities to create her own blog -- Science To Life (BBR #670). Her blog focuses on current and interesting science news that may affect people's lives. Karen used her expertise to moderate a panel on 'Gender and Race in Science: Online and Offline' that dealt ith issues of racial diversity. The topic seems right on time in light of what we continue to hear in the presidential campaign lately.

I hope many of us can meet Karen either in July at the Blogging While Brown conference or in August at the BDPA Technology Conference ... both being held near Emory University in Atlanta GA. In fact, I hope that Dr. Bemley sees this blog post and reaches out to this Ph.D candidate as a role model for the students in the BDPA IT Showcase sponsored by Johnson-Johnson.

For now we shine our spotlight on a Black blogger and a rising star in Science blogging. Click here to read her interview.