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Triangle Coalition Electronic Bulletin
April 3, 2008
Volume 14, Number 13
Published by the
Triangle Coalition for Science and Technology Education
Issue Sponsor:
ADC Foundation

This Week's Topics:

  1. TECHNOLOGY BRINGS NOAA MONTEREY BAY NATIONAL MARINE SANCTUARY TO CLASSROOMS NATIONWIDE
  2. SLOAN CAREER CORNERSTONE CENTER ADDS ASSOCIATE DEGREES THAT LEAD TO STEM CAREERS
  3. BEYOND GOGGLES AND LABCOATS - NSTA REFERENCE GUIDE TO SAFER SCIENCE
  4. JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH 3D
  5. KEY STATE EDUCATION POLICIES ON PK–12 EDUCATION
  6. CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES FOR LEARNING ABOUT INFRARED LIGHT
  7. REPORT ON HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATES PROJECTS DRAMATIC CHANGES
  8. PREVIOUS ISSUES

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TECHNOLOGY BRINGS NOAA MONTEREY BAY NATIONAL MARINE SANCTUARY
TO CLASSROOMS NATIONWIDE
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) National Marine Sanctuary Program recently used innovative Internet and satellite technology to transport students across the country to a scientific expedition in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. The experience, which featured the use of broadcasts from autonomous underwater vehicles, was accessible on the Internet and telecast to a network of partner Boys and Girls Clubs across the nation via satellite in early March. Students explored in real time one of the planet's most spectacular and most important biodiversity hotspots, California's Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Through a partnership with Dr. Robert Ballard's Immersion Presents, NOAA allowed students to experience majestic 100-foot-tall kelp forests, take a day trip out to the deep sea aboard NOAA's research vessel R/V Fulmar, and study endangered marine mammals including the gray and blue whales and the threatened California sea otter.
 
Triangle Coalition member, NOAA, is an agency of the U.S. Commerce Department and is dedicated to enhancing economic security and national safety through the prediction and research of weather and climate-related events and information service delivery for transportation and by providing environmental stewardship of our nation's coastal and marine resources. Through the emerging Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS), NOAA is working with its federal partners, more than 70 countries, and the European Commission to develop a global monitoring network that is as integrated as the planet it observes, predicts, and protects. More information and educational resources are available online.  

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SLOAN CAREER CORNERSTONE CENTER
ADDS ASSOCIATE DEGREES THAT LEAD TO STEM CAREERS
Triangle Coalition member, the Sloan Career Cornerstone Center, has recently expanded to include profiles of accredited associate degrees that lead to careers in science, engineering, and healthcare.  Counselors and educators who use the site to provide career planning assistance to students requested more coverage of two-year programs that students could consider to prepare them for careers in science, engineering, and healthcare. Recently added fields which require an associate's degree include Physical Therapist Assistant, Dental Hygienist, and Respiratory Therapist. Science technicians will be added in the near future. Over 135 fields are currently profiled on the site.  Each field profile includes educational requirements, salary data, employment information, and a brief overview of the work life and responsibilities of those working in the area. Another new site section demystifies the academic degree options available in the United States.

The Sloan Career Cornerstone Center website is free and contains no advertising.  It offers a free monthly newsletter, a weekly podcast series, and extensive PDF and PowerPoint files on each field which can be used by teachers, counselors, students, and parents. The site also includes comprehensive preparation tips, salary data, job hunting ideas, personal interviews with hundreds of people who offer candid insight into their own diverse careers, and updated lists of summer camps, national programs and projects, and scholarship opportunities for high school students. Find out more online.  

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BEYOND GOGGLES AND LABCOATS - NSTA REFERENCE GUIDE TO SAFER SCIENCE

The NSTA Ready Reference Guide to Safer Science is the need-to-know survival guide for every middle school teacher, principal, science-resource coordinator, and science supervisor who has ever had a question regarding safety. To read a free sample chapter, visit www.nsta.org/saferscience. Topics include:

  • How to protect your students during hands-on science lessons
  • How to protect yourself legally in aging facilities
  • Is it safe to allow backpacks, open-toe shoes, and long synthetic nails in the lab?
  • Are microwave ovens safe to use for heating liquids for experiments?
  • Can ether be safely used to anesthetize fruit flies in a lab?

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JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH 3D
The makers of "Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D," due in theaters July 11, are collaborating with Triangle Coalition member, the American Geological Institute (AGI), to create educational materials and activities linked to this major summer movie release. Starring Brendan Fraser, "Journey 3D" will plunge its characters -- and viewers -- into the exciting world beneath the Earth's surface. Walden Media, which is producing this update of the Jules Verne classic, has invited AGI, organizer of Earth Science Week, to help develop a booklet of related geoscience information and activities, using the movie as an opportunity to explore "science fiction and science fact." Additional details on "Journey 3D" educational opportunities will be made available in the coming months. 
 
AGI has also recently announced the theme of Earth Science Week 2008: "No Child Left Inside." Earth Science Week (October 12-18, 2008) will encourage young people to learn about the geosciences by getting away from the television, off the computer, and out of doors. AGI hosts Earth Science Week in cooperation with sponsors as a service to the public and the geoscience community. Each year, local groups, educators, and interested individuals organize celebratory events. Earth Science Week offers opportunities to discover the Earth sciences and engage in responsible stewardship of the Earth. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the first Earth Science Week, held in 1998. The program is supported by the U.S. Geological Survey, NASA, the AAPG Foundation, and other major geoscience groups. To learn more about Earth Science Week, related resources, and ways to participate, visit www.earthsciweek.org. More details about AGI educational programs are also online.

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KEY STATE EDUCATION POLICIES ON PK–12 EDUCATION

Triangle Coalition member, the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), has announced the publication of the biennial report, "Key State Education Policies on PK–12 Education: 2006." The most recent edition of this report updates two decades of research, providing 50-state analysis and trends for state policies that define teaching and learning across the nation. The report covers several areas of state policy that will define efforts of states, districts, and schools to meet key requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). These include:

  • School Leader/Administrator Licensure Requirements: Currently, 49 states reported having adopted administrator certification standards, and 43 states reported using the Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium (ISLLC) Standards for School Leaders as a national model for state standards, which is an increase from 39 states in 2004.
  • Standards for Learning: 50 states now have state content standards for student learning in mathematics, English/language arts, and science.
  • Policies on Pre-School: Currently, 32 states have a policy establishing statewide pre-school programs or a policy providing state funding for pre-school education.
  • Student Assessments: As of 2005-06, as required by NCLB, all 50 states have assessments in language arts/reading and mathematics for grades 3-8 and high school. Currently, 44 states have assessments in science at three grades or more (as required by NCLB for all states in 2007-08).
  • Graduation Requirements: Currently, 37 states require a minimum of four academic credits of English, 8 states require four credits of mathematics (34 require at least 3 credits), 4 states require four credits of social studies (33 require at least 3), and 26 states require three credits of science (28 require at least 3 credits). Course requirements for graduation have increased dramatically -- for example, in 1992, only six states required at least 3 credits of math and science. Policies requiring students to pass a high school exit examination for a high school diploma are in place in 24 states as of the 2005-06 school year.

The Council of Chief State School Officers is a nationwide, nonprofit organization of public officials who head departments of elementary and secondary education in the states, the District of Columbia, the Department of Defense Education Activity, and five U.S. extra-state jurisdictions. The Council began tracking and reporting key state education policies and statistical indicators for all states in the 1980s and trends are analyzed over the past decade or more. The state policy information in this report was collected, updated, and reviewed during 2006 through support and cooperation of the chief state school officers and their staffs. More details are online. 

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CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES FOR LEARNING ABOUT INFRARED LIGHT
Most students are familiar with the rainbow of colors that make up visible light. They're often less comfortable dealing with light from the other portions of the electromagnetic spectrum – gamma rays, x-rays, ultraviolet light, visible light, infrared light, microwaves, and radio waves. Students may not realize the important role played by non-visible light in their everyday lives. For example, TV remote controls, car-locking systems, and some grocery store check-out scanners use infrared light to signal between devices or read bar-codes. Computers use infrared light to read CD-ROMs. Night-vision goggles register infrared light (also known as heat radiation), as do search-and-rescue monitors that look for the heat given off by someone lost in the wilderness at night.

The Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) has developed a series of lesson plans and other educational materials to assist middle and high school teachers exploring infrared light with students. The hands-on and demonstration activities are designed to complement instruction on the electromagnetic spectrum for middle and high school students, and is designed to be completed in one or two classroom periods. A poster is also available on request about the electromagnetic spectrum. The front of the poster is a visual-wavelength image of the Whirlpool Galaxy (Messier 51) from the Hubble Space Telescope compared with a row of images of the same galaxy at a range of wavelengths from X-ray to radio. The back of the poster is covered by text containing background information and some classroom activities to teach the properties of electromagnetic waves. NASA and the DLR, German Aerospace Center, are working together to create SOFIA -- a Boeing 747SP aircraft modified by L-3 Communications Integrated Systems to accommodate a 2.5 meter reflecting telescope. SOFIA is an airborne observatory that will study the universe in the infrared spectrum. Besides this contribution to science progress, SOFIA is expected to be a major factor in the development of observational techniques and instruments, and in the education of young scientists and teachers in the discipline of infrared astronomy. Find out more about SOFIA's educational resources online.  

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REPORT ON HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATES PROJECTS DRAMATIC CHANGES
The United States is undergoing a demographic sea change, one that has strong implications for our education system and our economy. As "Knocking at the College Door: Projections of High School Graduates by State and Race/Ethnicity, 1992 to 2022," indicates, the U.S. production of high school graduates is set to begin a long decline, fueled by precipitous drops in the Northeast and Midwest. Our nation and many states will also witness a dramatic shift in the racial/ethnic composition of their student bodies and high school graduating classes, according to the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education, which released the report. Three major findings:
  • After 14 straight years of rapid growth in high school graduate numbers, the U.S. will top out this year. Beginning in 2008-09, projections point to a gradual, downward trajectory for the nation, with graduate numbers falling to their lowest point around 2013-14 and then slowly rising again.
  • Regions will see highly variable change. Between the peak year of 2007-08 and 2021-22, the Northeast’s high school graduate numbers will shrink by 13 percent, while the Midwest’s will drop by 7 percent. The West will see growth of 5 percent while the South may anticipate about 10 percent. Nationally, the number will rise by 6 percent.
  • All four regions will see increasing student diversity, driven by declines in the share of White non-Hispanic graduates and increases in Hispanic numbers, as well as those of Asian Pacific/Islanders. And in some regions the change will be dramatic. In the West, the Class of 2010 is projected to be the first "majority minority" class (with less than 50 percent of graduates being White non-Hispanic), while the South will see its first majority minority graduating class in 2017. Individual states such as California, Texas, Hawaii, and New Mexico are already there, and more are expected to follow in their path in the near future.

The Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education and its 15 member states work collaboratively to expand educational access and excellence for all citizens of the West. "Knocking at the College Door" and individual state profiles are posted online.    

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TCEB Sponsors

This issue of the TCEB is made possible by grants from:

ADC Foundation

ADC Telecommunications provides network infrastructure products and services to businesses around the world. Connecting industry and community needs, the ADC Foundation focuses its charitable grants on science and mathematics education, and also on nonprofit technology assistance.

To find out how your organization can sponsor the TCEB or support the Triangle Coalition in other ways, visit www.trianglecoalition.org/support.htm __________________________________________________________________________

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