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Triangle Coalition Electronic Bulletin
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This Week's Topics:
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| Girl Scouts from across the U.S. recently discovered more about energy, connected with the environment, and took action to preserve precious resources during the "Global Climate Change: Take a Stand! Leadership Institute." The Institute was run by the Girl Scouts of the USA in New York. The Girl Scouts of the USA asked Trane, a leading global provider of energy efficient heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems and services, to lead girls through an interactive exercise on how to make buildings more energy efficient and environmentally responsible. Pam Greve, Trane's building automation solutions leader, and Mary Scarbrough, Trane's parts solutions leader, both of whom have served as Girl Scout troop leaders, lead the girls through an energy audit of the Edith Macy Conference Center. They also discussed how careers in engineering can be fun and have a positive impact on the world at large. "Girls are the single greatest untapped resource for engineering talent in this country," said Scarbrough. "They make their decisions on whether or not they want to pursue math and science-related fields by the time they're in middle school. We need to get to them early with options on how engineering can be fun and how it can truly make a difference on the economy and environment." Founded in 1912, Girl Scouts of the USA is a leadership development organization for girls, with 3.6 million members (girls and adults) worldwide. The organization serves girls from every corner of the United States and its territories. Girls Scouts of the USA also serves American girls and their classmates attending American or international schools overseas in 90 countries. For more information, visit www.girlscouts.org. . |
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| Amateur Radio on the International Space Station, or ARISS, is a program supported by a team of volunteer radio operators formed to build and operate radio equipment to facilitate communication between the orbiting outpost and Earth. Amateur radio communication dates back to the early 1900s, in the infancy of wireless radio. Thanks to ham radio, many astronauts and cosmonauts can feel more connected to home and Earth while in space. Sponsored by NASA, the American Radio Relay League, and the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation, ARISS affords students the opportunity to develop their interests in technology, science, and the space program. Since 1983, dozens of astronauts have used the Space Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment, a forerunner to ARISS, to talk with thousands of students from their temporary home in space. Space shuttle Atlantis on the STS-106 mission delivered the first ham radio gear to the space station, which was put into use by Expedition 1, the space station's first permanent crew. "What makes the program work is not what we do on the space station; but the individuals who go into schools, set up the equipment, teach students about radio and spaceflight and then allow us to talk to the young people," explains NASA astronaut and Expedition 12 Commander Bill McArthur. He has been an avid ham radio operator since he was introduced to the hobby in high school, and brought this enthusiasm with him when he joined NASA's astronaut corps. Find out more at www.arrl.org/ARISS. . |
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"Paying for A's: An Early Exploration of Student Reward and Incentive Programs in Charter Schools" is a new report from the Center for Research on Educational Outcomes (CREDO), at Stanford University. The study investigated whether offering student reward and incentive programs in charter schools affects academic achievement. The study was based on a survey of 186 charter schools in 17 states. It excluded schools that had been in operation for less than two years, as well as those that did not enroll students in the 4th grade or higher. Data on incentive programs were drawn from a survey of charter school principals. The study also used data on reading and math test scores from state education agencies covering the school years 2004-05 to 2006-07. The study measured effects by comparing changes in average grade-level test scores in schools that had incentive programs to changes in schools that did not have incentive programs. The study found that charters schools that offer student reward and incentive programs had higher gains in reading test scores than charter schools that did not offer these programs. The study found no difference in math test score gains. . |
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| The Siemens Foundation, Discovery Communications, and Triangle Coalition member, the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA), have joined together to inspire student achievement in sustainability through a comprehensive education initiative, the "Siemens We Can Change the World Challenge." Kicking off the 2008 school year in September, the "Siemens We Can Change the World Challenge" is the first and only national K12 sustainability education initiative aligned to state education standards and uniquely tailored to match students’ growing comprehension abilities throughout their school years. By partnering with Discovery Education, a division of Discovery Communications, which provides scientifically proven, standards-based digital media tools and resources to classrooms nationwide, and the NSTA, the largest science teacher organization in the world dedicated to improving science education and increasing student learning by engaging all teachers of science, the Siemens Foundation will serve as a pioneer in recognizing sustainability efforts within the K12 education system. "The Siemens We Can Change the World Challenge will engage science teachers and allow students the opportunity to think like scientists, learn more about key environmental issues, and to develop critical thinking skills that will help them to make informed decisions regarding stewardship of the planet,” said Dr. Gerry Wheeler, Executive Director, NSTA. Designed to equip students in every grade level with the tools and inspiration to develop innovative green solutions for schools, homes and communities, the Siemens We Can Change the World Challenge will transform participants into active citizens for a greener tomorrow. The program begins by helping young students understand the basic concepts of sustainability and why it’s important to protect the environment. At each subsequent stage, the concepts expand to engage students beyond their classrooms, into their communities and to the global world. The Challenge launches with a national middle school competition where teams of students will identify an environmental problem in their community and will research and recommend a reproducible environmental improvement program. Teams will then provide an explanation about how other communities across the country can launch similar environmental improvement programs. More details are at www.wecanchangetheworldchallenge.com. . |
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WGBH-TV and the League for Innovation in the Community College have announced the launch of "Getting Results" multimedia professional development modules for training community college faculty. The modules focus on the teaching of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics specifically in Advanced Technology Education classrooms. The modules include real teachers and students in real classroom settings across the country, representing a range of fields, institutions, programs, and subject areas. Suitable for self-study, face-to-face training, or other formats of online and on-site use, "Getting Results" gives faculty members strategies for deepening teaching and learning. Extensive curriculum, including downloadable PDF versions of web-based text, is now available online at no charge. . |
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| Encouraging young people to make a difference in the world through an engineering career is more likely to attract them than emphasizing the challenge of math and science skills, says a new report from the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) that identifies messages for improving public understanding of engineering. The report, "Changing the Conversation: Messages for Improving Public Understanding of Engineering," recommends that the engineering community begin using tested messages in a coordinated communications strategy. The four messages that tested best are: 1. Engineers make a world of difference, 2. Engineers are creative problem-solvers, 3. Engineers help shape the future, and 4. Engineering is essential to our health, happiness, and safety. "Improving public understanding of engineering will enable people to make more informed decisions about technology, encourage students to consider engineering careers, and ultimately sustain the U.S. capacity for technological innovation," said Don Giddens, dean of engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology and chair of the committee that wrote the report. The NAE project represents the first-ever effort to use market research techniques to improve the public image of the engineering profession. The report presents and discusses findings from qualitative and quantitative research, including an online survey of 3,600 people. In addition to testing the appeal, believability, and relevance of a handful of different messages, the project also collected data on a set of taglines, or slogans. Because African Americans and Hispanics are underrepresented in engineering schools and careers, the survey included large numbers of both groups. While less than 15 percent of adults or teens described engineers using the common stereotypes, such as "boring" or "nerdy," the research showed that many students don't enjoy math and science enough to become engineers. The study was sponsored by the National Science Foundation with additional support from the Georgia Institute of Technology. The National Academy of Engineering is an independent, nonprofit institution that serves as an adviser to government and the public on issues in engineering and technology. The report is available in PDF format online. . |
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TCEB Sponsors
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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