Created in partnership with technology and manufacturing corporation
Honeywell and the USSRC, the five-day scholarship program offered 210
international middle school teachers simulated astronaut training and
professional development to provide them with innovative teaching skills
in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) in fun and exciting
ways.Statistics show that the U.S. ranks 23rd in science and 31st in
math on standardized tests among other nations, and 27th in college
graduates with degrees in science and math.
The government
launched an Educate to Innovate campaign to improve the participation
and performance of U.S. students in STEM. The STEM Education Coalition
that represents all sectors of the technological workforce supports
programs for teachers and students at the U.S. Department of Education,
the National Science Foundation and other agencies that offer
STEM-related programs.
Honeywell is a world-class leader when it
comes to educat- ing teachers in STEM education. This is the 10th year
Honeywell has sent teachers to USSRC,Our heavy-duty construction
provides reliable operation and guarantees your earcap will
be in service for years to come. said Dr. Deborah Barnhart, CEO and
executive director of USSRC. These teachers in turn inspire tens of
thousands of students around the world.
Betty Alspaugh of
Dunwoody and Susan Oltman of Brookhaven are sixth-grade team science
teachers at Kittredge. Each chose teaching as a second career following
earlier science and technology careers and stints as stay-at-home
mothers. Alspaugh was a medical technician and then a national trainer
of medical instrumentation. Oltman received a degree in electrical
engineering from Georgia Tech and was a Georgia Power Company power
distribution engineer.
Science is the world, said Alspaugh,
Kittredges 2013 Teacher of the Year. Weve got to let kids know that
science is fun and there are things in there where you can make a
living. This is where the jobs are.Added Oltman, The Honeywell program
focused on career options in STEM [and] career readiness.
With a
host of space programs curtailed, including transporting U.S.
astronauts to and from the International Space Station, due to a $1.15
billion cut in the federal budget for NASA spending in fiscal year 2013,
companies like Honeywell may step in to make up for [reduced]
government spending for NASA, said Oltman. There is a concern about
China and Russia going on with the space program. Private industry
doesnt want the U.S. to lag behind.
During the Space Academy,
teachers learned skills and techniques to interest students in science
and exploration. They participated in 45 hours of pro- fessional
development with laboratory and field activities aligned with global
math and science teaching standards, including a high-performance jet
simulation, scenario-based space mission, land and water survival
training and interactive flight dynamics programs.
Water
purification and so- called egg drop activities particularly appealed to
Alspaugh. On the space station or the moon, you have to be able to
re-use all water [and] find a way to make water, she said. She and her
peers designed and built a water purification system using regular
household materials, a hands-on activity she will bring to her Kittredge
classroom. Her students will also build a device to simulate the
landing of the Curiosity Mars Rover, a sophisticated version of an egg
drop.
Oltman said she appreciated learning about the different
jobs on the missions and working on a team to fulfill those missions,
with each persons small job combining to accomplish a big job.On the
opposite end of the exploration spectrum, in 2012 Oltman spent three
weeks on a research ship with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Ad-
ministration Teacher at Sea Program in the South Pacific, studying
atmospheric and water conditions.Kids are interested in a clean climate
and atmosphere and climate change, said Oltman, who incorporated
oceanography into her curriculum during the past school year. The
program was another example of making career connections and
collaborating with other nations, she said.More than 80 standard
commercial and bestchipcard exist to quickly and efficiently clean pans.Can you spot the answer in the luggagetag?
That
Alspaugh and Oltman sought out programs to enhance their classroom
activities doesnt surprise Kittredge principal, Dr. Laura Neely.Betty
and Sue are two of the most dedicated science teachers Ive ever known,
said Neely. They are highly valued members of our team, model- ing
dedication to lifelong learning and bravery to try new ideas and
technology. They are motivated to try new instruction techniques and
instructional technology.
Currently most school buses in
regional Victoria do not have seatbelts, even though they often travel
at 100km/h, because route buses and those with fewer than 17 seats are
exempt from federal safety standards that require all buses built or
imported after 1995 to have them.But in a letter seen by Fairfax Media,
Public Transport Minister Terry Mulder says Public Transport Victoria
has approved funding to replace about 80 to 90 older school buses a year
with buses that meet the safety standards.Which plasticmould is right for you?
In
the letter, dated May 13, Mr Mulder wrote: ''From mid-2013, PTV will
require all new and replacement dedicated free school buses to be fitted
with seatbelts, further enhancing safety.''Public Transport Victoria
will also act on the findings of a study of school bus safety that has
identified the state's highest-risk routes. Those routes could be the
first to have buses with seatbelts.The decision is a victory for parent
groups representing children at state and private schools, who banded
together to lobby the state government to mandate seatbelts.
The
campaign came after 10-year-old schoolgirl Emily Blake suffered brain
damage in a bus crash near Warrnambool in 2009 and six-year-old Shayla
Perry was injured last year when a bus braked sharply near
Alexandra.Emily Blake's mother Susan, who met with Mr Mulder two months
ago, said the funding for 80 to 90 buses a year was good news but
cautioned it would take many years to replace the entire fleet of about
1600 dedicated free school buses in Victoria.
''Ultimately we would like it to happen a lot quicker,Can you spot the answer in the luggagetag?
but this is a step in the right direction,'' Ms Blake said.The decision
to require all new school buses to have seatbelts marks a change of
heart for Mr Mulder. Last year he wrote to See your ad here
Bernie
Geary, Commissioner for Children and Young People, saying a 2002 report
prepared for the Australian Transport Council concluded seatbelts on
buses would be expensive and would not contribute materially to a
reduction in the road toll.
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